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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



The Gold Mine in the Front 

Yard and How to 

Work It 



SHOWING HOW MILLIONS OF DOLLARS 
CAN BE ADDED TO THE VALUE 
OF PRAIRIE FARMS 



By C; si^lHARRISON 

YORK, NEBRASKA 



President of the Nebraska Park of 
Forestry Society 



ST. PAUL. MINN. 
WEBB PUBLISHING CO. 

1905. 



' LiBPARY of CONGRF.SS 
Two Cnnis? Rpr.eivecJ 

JUN 8 1906 

>i^Coi),yt;£dit Entry 

W^ X f9oS 

CLASS dL ^*>f' N'^'' 

// I 6 / 

' COPY B. 



COPYRIGHTED 1905 
BY 

Webb Pctblishing Go. 



INDEX. 



Introduction 1 

Beauty is wealth — The mission of beauty. 

The Home 11 

"There's no place like home" — The boys' room. 

The Discovery of Beautiful Gems 16 

The Concord Grape — The Wealthy Apple — Carnations 
— Paeonies, etc. 

The Preparation of the Ground and the Preparation of 

The Owner 22 

Intelligence of the plant and tree worid. 

Don't Be Stingy 30 

Laying Out the Grounds 36 

Kinds of trees and shrubbery and arrangement. 

Hints and Suggestions — Selecting Trees and Shrubs.... 42 

Raising plants from seed — Dogs and flowers. 

Planting For Foliage Effect 55 

Trees of silver foliage — Golden foliage — Purple foliage 
— Planting for Autumn effect. 

The Lilac 62 

The Persians — Emodi — Oblata — Japan — Tree Lilacs, 
etc. 

The Viburnum, or Snowball 74 

Other shrubs of value. 

The Syringa, or Philadelphus 81 

Spiraeas 89 

The Rose 94 

Japanese Roses — Climbing Roses — The Hybrids or Per- 
petuals — Preparing roses for winter. 



iv INDEX. 

The Lonicera, or Honeysuckle 105 

Bush or Tree Honeysuckles — Planting a group — Propa- 
gation — Climbing Honeysuckles. 

Perennial Flowers 114 

Tulips — Yuccas — The Filamentosa — The Iris — The 
Golden Glow — Sunflowers, 

Columbines 123 

How to grow them — Delphiniums — The Lily — Time to 
plant — The Gaillardia — Oriental Poppy — Phloxes. 

The Paeony 160 

Classification — Propagation — Dividing the roots — 
Planting for flowers — Raising from roots — Propa- 
gation by grafting — Raising from seed — Care of 
seed and planting — Hardiness — Thoroughbred 
flowers — Changes of soil and climate — Mistakes 
and mixtures — Difficulties — Retarding for spring 
selling — Late blooming — Nonblooming Paeonies — 
Cutting from newly planted roots — Paeonies and 
insects — Diseases — Freaks, etc. 

List of Some of The Leading Paeonies 219 

Gladiolus, The Sword Lily s 242 

Propagation — Flowers — Forcing — Cannas — Rais- 
ing from seed — The Dahlia — Propagation — Varie- 
ties, etc. 



INTRODUCTION. 

Often gold is found when least suspected. Miners 
for a generation roamed over the Cripple Creek hills, 
and did not dream of the millions beneath their feet. 
The shepherds of Australia led their flocks over pas- 
tures paved with gold and did not know it. 

A poor rancher in the mountains found nuggets of 
gold in the crop of a turkey, and found whence they 
came and soon struck his millions. 

But these are rare cases. Often I have known men 
to trudge over the mountains for years and endure 
all manner of privations and grow gray before they 
find wealth. 

But every farmer has a gold mine in his front yard, 
where, least suspected, there are riches. Generation 
follows generation and the case is rare where these 
mines are worked as they should be. 

It is generally supposed that the money is all in the 
back yard, the barn, the granary and the farm, and 
yet the richest deposits are at the front ; and every 
acre there is worth $1,000 at least, as we shall see. 

BEAUTY IS WEALTH. 

There are priceless values outside dollars and cents. 
^yhat does the rich man do? Does he put all his 



2 THE GOLD MINE 

gains where they will bring back so much annual in- 
terest in cold cash ? He does far better. There are 
more beautiful things in this life than greenbacks, sil- 
ver and gold. The man gets a piece of land. A 
landscape gardener lays it out, then he has it planted 
to the choicest trees, shrubs and flowers. Tliese are 
well cared for, and that piece of brown earth soon de- 
velops into a beautiful estate — and that is wealth. 

That plat of ground, of little value in itself, be- 
comes a garden of delight. As the years go by it 
grows more and more beautiful — the joy of the owner 
and the delight of all who pass by. 

I^ow please tell me why the western farmer can- 
not be rich. He has better land than the eastern 
man who buys a worn-out field, and then pays $10 
a cord for manure besides the hauling. The farmer 
has plenty of manure in his yard. Trees and flowers 
will grow for him as well as for others. Go to the 
experiment stations, and you will see what vast num- 
bers of things there are which do well all over the 
West. 

The farmer's wife belongs to the noblest race on 
earth. How much of patience, fortitude and hard 
work she has displayed in the homebuilding. Heaven 
help him if his sons and daughters are not of more 
worth than many of the children of the rich who live 
in a band box and must be fed with a spoon. 

Farmers complain that their children do not like the 
farm, and as soon as they can they will leave it. What 
wonder! I knew of a man worth $75,000, with a 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 3 

large farm well stocked — not a carpet on the floor — not 
a rocking chair in the house — no hooks, magazines 
or pictures — not a tree in the yard — not a shrub or 
flower. It was grind, grind, grind for dollars from 
early morning till late at night. The three daughters 
who might have been ornaments to society were lured 
away to lives of shame. The five boys ran away and 
all but one became vagabonds. You do not want to 
raise a family of boors — awkward and ill at ease in 
society. You want them to be educated and refined. 
Surround tlicni with refining influences; let them asso- 
ciate with beautiful things. G-ive them a taste of the 
real luxuries and entertainments of life. Make the 
home so attractive that it will be the dearest spot on 
earth. 

My thoughts revert to the home of my friend, T. C. 
Thurlow, of West !N"ewbury, Mass. His grandson is 
the tenth generation born on the old place. Every 
tree has a history. One Fourth of July we took din- 
ner under a fine old elm his grandfather planted. 
Back of the house is an artificial gi'ove of spruce. The 
rows are like columns in some grand cathedral. The 
tops have woven a canopy of green that shuts out the 
sun. The family are troubled with weak lungs. A 
few years ago he planted some little white pines and 
they are now a forest filling the air with healing. In 
front of the house are thousands of the finest of 
paeonies, and yonder such a field of glorious phloxes. 
There are silver robed trees from the Rockies. Ever- 



4 THE GOLD MINE 

greens and deciduous trees gathered from different 
parts of the earth. Everywhere there are things of 
beauty. ''No wonder the children dread to leave home 
and rejoice when they can get back again. 

Take it all around, and no investment will pay bet- 
ter than 3'Our gold mine in your front yard. ''Well/^ 
says one, ^'I don't know how to work it. I don't know 
anything about horticulture." We thought perhaps 
that was the case, and so this book is written in the 
hope that it will develop the immense amount of wealth 
and beauty now idle, or existing only in thought. 

Let us outline this matter. We visit a fine estate 
in Massachusetts. There is a marvelous group of trees 
dressed in silver and sapphire. Their sheen is like soft 
moonlight lingering among the branches. Offer the 
man $100 apiece for them. He would not take twice 
that. You buy those same trees of silvery hue for 
$2.00 each; then see them grow. They will do as well 
in Minnesota as in Massachusetts. Each little tree 
will be ambitious to work out that $100 for you; and 
it will be worth as much to you and your family as to 
any one. 

A little boy once planted a quarter, and a few days 
after dug it up to see if it had sprouted. Another 
little fellow who loved his grandma dearly moved with 
his parents to a far Western home. He was terribly 
homesick. How he did long for the kind arms and the 
dear old face ! One day his mother found him planting 
a photograph in the garden. It was the picture of 
the dear old lady. He burst into tears and said: "I 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 5 

was plantin' danma so she would grow and I could 
have her adin.'' Poor little fellow! Silver and 
photos can't grow, but trees can. 

I saw a beautiful lilac tree tw^enty years old. It was 
thirty inches around and thirty feet high and all that 
splendid crown Avas a mass of fragrant bloom. Would 
$100 buy it? Yet for $1.00 you buy the same kind 
of a tree, which is as hardy and thrifty as our native 
ash and which in its native mountains of Japan is a 
foot through and fifty feet high. Professor Green 
has them growing on the University grounds. There 
is one to match it — the Chinese tree lilac with charm- 
ing foliage and drooping branches. 

What a vast array of flowering shrubs. Besides 130 
kinds of lilacs we have a splendid list of syringas, 
spirseas, viburnums, and many others. 

Take the perennials. What a noble family — phloxes 
blooming from June to I^ovember. 

Get a dozen of them and this book will tell you how 
to swell the number to a thousand so you can have a 
field of splendor. 

Plant a few paeonies and soon you have hundreds. 

There are the columbines which have robbed the 
rainbow of all its colors and woven them into bouquets 
fit for kings. 

Think of the enjoyment you will have. When you 
are tired with your day's work just take a vacation 
on your front porch, and any day from spring till the 
hard frosts of autumn there will be a procession of 
beauty on gorgeous dress parade before you. 



6 THE GOLD MINE 

If there were such a park as you might have ten miles 
away you would hitch the team to the carriage, and 
take your whole family to see it. Why don't you have 
a park of your own and make your farm a sort of 
Mecca to the lovers of nature? 

Good old Mother N^ature. What a heartache she has 
had all these years because she could not get at you 
and go to w^ork for you. 

She Jias a plan for fixing up, and just beside you in 
the unseen she has a vision of loveliness which she 
would like to make a substantial reality. She is ready 
to open the door into fairyland and let you see just 
what is waiting for you. 

You read these lines and ask, "Is this possible for 
me ?" Yes ! ^ow won't you fix up ? That neglected 
piece of ground is too valuable for rooting pigs and sick 
and disabled machinery. 

Now every man who owes a debt ought to pay up. 
The man who owns 160 acres of land is a king by 
divine right. He owns down to the center of the eartli 
and up to the stars. With the warranty deed which 
comes from the United States government and from 
God there, is an implied obligation to make the most 
of this empire of yours. Every nook and corner of it 
should be put to its best. The home should be like a 
splendid picture set in a suitable frame. 

THE MISSION^ OF BEAUTY. 

When the whole world is so full of beauty why 
should it be entirely ignored on the farm? You see 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 7 

it everywhere. It sits on the bow which fronts the 
storm. You see it in those mountains of cloud dress- 
ed in gorgeous robes of ruby, and opal, of amethyst 
and gold, as they escort the retiring day to his cham- 
bers in the West. The vast prairies when unvexed 
by man were gardens of flowers. You plant an or- 
chard and it is clothed with fragrant bloom in spring- 
time, and in autumn it is a bouquet of loveliness with 
its fruit of red and gold. 

God might have made the cherry, the peach, and the 
apple the color of the stones, but he chose to feed the 
eye as well as the palate. Through beauty he would 
touch the soul. Put a man where you will, and there 
will be some of the attractions of nature to welcome 
him. The tropics are filled with flowers, and they 
alternate in the hemispheres. They salute him in the 
vast countries of the North. How fascinating the 
splendors of the aurora as they flash and flame on the 
walls of the sky! The arch above us is kalsomined 
with sapphire, and sprinkled with stars. Then the 
gates of the future open before us on scenes of tran- 
scendent loveliness. 

Why on earth in these mortal bodies do objects 
diminish in ratio to distance ? Can you look the noon- 
day sun out of countenance as it is ? Suppose you 
could see all things now in their full proportions. You 
take one glance upward into the empires of glory, 
where vast cities of stars are blazing and monster 
worlds lie along the path of vision, and a single glance 
would paralyze the strongest brain. 



8 THE GOLD MINE 

But by and by we will awake in the divine likeness 
and see as God sees. Then what prospects will open 
before us as we are greeted with the salutations of 
-the universe. Each star has a mantle in color and 
fashion all its own, — no two alike; and the stupendous 
empire stretching to the shores of chaos will rise as 
endless fields of loveliness filled with the surprises and 
astonishments of beauty. 

Language labors and falters in the attempt to de- 
scribe our home in the future, with jasper walls, and 
opal sea, with gates of pearl and golden pavements and 
foundations set with precious gems. 

When we have such an inheritance of beauty in this 
world and the next, why should the farmer, who is part 
owner of this earth, ignore it altogether, especially 
since God has made him a creator who, with a wizard's 
wand,, can call up visions, marvels in form and dazzling 
in beauty ? 

He can take an acre of somber earth and gather 
upon it the colors of the rainbow, the splendors of the 
sunset, the radiance of the gems, and it will be a land 
Elysian — promise and prophesy of what lies beyond. 

We are just on the borders of what is yet to be re- 
vealed to us here. What changes have been produced 
in a few years. The carnation of today was evolved 
from a humble flower. The dahlia had a very inferior 
ancestry. The phlox, with its marvels of brilliancy and 
attractiveness, reaching out into hundreds of varieties, 
was a, humble flower born on our great prairies. The 
paeony of today is one of evolution's miracles. And 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 9 

just before us are the most delightful possibilities. 
How keen the zest of those who hunt for diamonds, 
pearls, rubies and other precious gems. There is a 
kindred delight for those in search of new and rare 
floral treasures. When Rosenfield gave us Golden 
Harvest among the paeonies he gave, not a single gem, 
but one that will grow to cheer a million homes. When 
Terry gave us his Excelsior, Clara Barton and Victor 
paeonies it was as if he scattered gems that would grow 
and cheer and gladden thousands. 

In my own experience I have seen marvels of new 
creations among the phloxes, and seedlings of my 
own raising far surpass many of our choice importa- 
tions; and so with columbines. What delicate rays of 
beauty are gathered into some of those newer forms. 
How much awaits us among the paeonies. What sur- 
prises for myself and the world must come from 
thirty-five pounds of choicest seed. We have only 
touched the great empire of beauty which stretches be- 
fore us. 



CITAPTEK I. 

THE HOME. 

This should not be a kennel, a sty, a stable, or a 
barn. It is tlie dwelling place of immortals. It 
should be the most sacred spot on eartli. The residence 
need not always be elaborate. There is much of cheer 
often in the lowly cottage. The spirit of the home is 
the presence of the wife and mother. Tf this is lack- 
ing the place is a desolation. 

The new woman greedily seeks the new vocations, 
trying by all means to avoid wliat she terms ^^domestic 
drudgery.'' But there is no occupation more noble 
than that whicli ministers to the wants of the loved 
ones — no hand so beautiful as that from Avhicli fall the 
benedictions of toil and cheerfulness. 

People, of necessity, are often restricted in home ar- 
rangements. 

When our people moved West in '44 we lived for 
years in a house 18x24 which cost just $50. It had a 
chamber Avhere our sleeping bunks were. We climb- 
ed to it on a ladder. There Avere nine of us. But as 
means increased home comforts grew. Times have 
changed. Our farmers are w^ell to do, or even rich, 
and now can have home comforts and conveniences. 

What tremendous influences are all the while going 



12 THE GOLD MINE 

out of our American homes. Tliej are sources of 
power. 

From on© of them a boj goes to his life work as one 
of the captains of industry. ■ And. mark you, most of 
the Titans of today, mightier than fabled Thor or Vul- 
can, came from country homes. 

There goes a thoughtful girl with fertile brain and 
facile pen. She was born and reared in the country 
where she could get acquainted with herself and learn 
to think and write and the world loves her. 

From another home goes a boy with the soul of a 
patriot. He enters a naval academy and sooner or 
later you may hear of another Santiago or Manilla. 

Another goes to West Point and becomes a Grant 
or Sheridan. 

We think too little of home. How few expect to 
live and die on their farms. They hope to sell, and 
what a shifting race in which the home instinct is al- 
most blotted out ! 

What spot can be more sacred in its hallowed asso- 
ciations ? In that room a little sister with starry eyes 
and hair of woven sunbeans went into the open arms 
of a waiting Saviour. Is that room a place for stran- 
gers ? Should wooden shoes go clamping in places 
touched by angels' feet? 

In that room Grandfather passed away. How the 
children loved to gather there and listen to stories of 
the past. What a kindly soul he was and the little 
ones loved to nestle on his bosom. When he died it 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 13 

was the death of the righteous. The gates were opened 
and heavenly escorts bore him home. 

There a mother passed away. I stood by her side 
and saw and heard it all. Her eyes were closed to 
earthly things and then there passed by her on the 
shores of light the processions of glory. I cannot for- 
get the rapture and the gladness and the outreaching 
and the last words, ^^Oh, beautiful, beautiful Jesus !'' 
Should that holy place be desecrated by those who 
neither know nor care for any of those precious memo- 
ries ? 

In that room as a child you lay sick for weeks. At 
the foot of your bed pictures were changed every day 
to give your tired soul something new to think of. 
Your mates came in to cheer you. You have a dim 
remembrance of the long vigils of father and mother 
and the good doctors who could not let you die. 

What gatherings were in that parlor. Jane and 
Sarah and Emma were married there. You remem- 
ber where they stood and how they looked. 

There is the dining room where the wedding and 
Thanksgiving feasts Avere spread. .What happy gath- 
erings of friends and relatives. What delightful 
memories linger there. Oh, don't sell the home ! 

In our great West there is hardly a farm but what 
can be beautified and made homelike. You can build 
bulwarks of noble trees to shut out the fierce blasts of 
winter. Evergreens and deciduous trees are waiting 
to come and defend you. 

The choicest shrubs and flowers with continuous 



14 THE GOLD MINE 

bloom are ready to spring up at your beck and fill you 
with cheer and gladness. 

On the farm there is too often a lack of conveniences 
and comforts. The woman should have a good toilet 
room as well as her city cousin. The inconveniences 
to which delicate women are subjected in going to out 
houses in the piercing cold and through the deep snows 
might be classed among the martyrdoms. I had seen 
so much of this that when I built I made up my mind 
to have a good bath and toilet room first and then 
build a house around it. I cannot see why there 
should be such cruel neglect and indifference on the 
farm. I know a Western ranch where the wife is a 
noble, motherly woman and she has daughters that are 
teachers and the husband and father has never even 
built a small out house for them. 

The expense of home comforts is not great. There 
is little trouble in having a cesspool at a safe distance, 
and as far as sanitary conditions are concerned a cess- 
pool is no more dangerous to health than a common 
vault. 

If possible, water should be conveyed into the house. 
The windmill can do this much better than the wife. 
The woman has a hard time at best — often without 
help, and she should have every possible convenience. 

THE BOYS^ ROOM 

Should be large and cheery and well stocked with 
books and papers. I know a man who has trouble 
with his boys. He owns a half section of land and is 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 15 

well off. He built a store to rent in a new town with 
his surplus money. But the boys had to grope their 
way to bed on all fours in the garret of a dilapidated 
sod house. Treat a boy like a dog and he will be one. 
Give him a good room and have him take care of it 
and he will be a gentleman instead of a rowdy. 

If possible he should have a shop with a good set of 
tools ; not cheap gift affairs, but the best that money 
can buy. 

The best room is none too good for the family. 
They are as good as the company you receive. The 
largest and best room is often kept for the guest. This 
may be occupied a dozen times in a year and the father 
and mother sleep in a small room. They need the best 
and largest, and a guest can take up with a smaller 
one. Better for him to stand it a short time than 
that the Aveary ones should use it all the while. Have 
a good, roomy kitchen with every possible convenience. 



CHAPTER II. 

THE DISCOVERY OF BEAUTIEUL GEMS. 

If in the gold mine in the front yard there should 
also be found a mine of gems what new zest would 
be given to research. 

Yet it is a fact that we are on the verge of the un- 
known. Behind a thin veil the good Father has rich 
treasures in store for us and we can fold the curtains 
aside and take possession. 

A man finds a precious diamond like the Kohinoor 
or the ^^Mountain of Light'' or ^^Star of the South'' and 
his fortune is made. 

Ancient rulers reveled in the possession of precious 
stones. When Persia was invaded by the Mahometans 
they captured a splendid carpet which was one of the 
marvels of the world. It was 450 feet long and 90 
feet wide, and had a border worked in with precious 
stones to represent a garden of all kinds of lovely 
flowers. The leaves were formed of emeralds and 
other green colored stones, while the buds and blossoms 
were composed of pearls, rubies, sapphires and other 
gems of immense value. Along with this was a robe 
of state thickly embroidered with the most beautiful 
rubies and pearls. That splendid carpet was an imi- 
tation of a garden of flowers. True the fabric of 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 17 

woven gems would last tlie longest, yet there was only 
one of it, while millions of people can have carpets 
of bloom radiant with a thousand forms emitting their 
fragrance and displaying their loveliness. 

There was the peacock throne. A marvelous col- 
lection of jewels — fashioned into the form of that re- 
splendent bird. It was worth thirty millions of dol- 
lars. It was a most magnificent bouquet of splendor; 
yet today the poor man or woman on intimate terms 
with earth and nature can have collections of forms, 
tints and colorings which might vie in appearance even 
with this masterpiece of human skill. 

Let some Emperor have his '"Great Mogul" or ^'Or- 
loif Diamond." But a hundred thousand people can 
have their gTcat, splendid Festiva Maximas and La 
Tulipes — gems of the floral world. Men have gone 
mad over the discovery of rich and precious stones. 
But there are gems of lustrous beauty among flowers — 
gems which do not center all their value in a single 
object. 

I stood by the original Concord grape in that his- 
toric town and said: ''You grand Old Mother! You 
know not the trainload after trainload of fruit and 
plants which have gone forth from your branches, add- 
ing millions to the nation's wealth." 

Gideon discovered a gem in the Wealthy apple. 
What a marvel ! l^o jewel uncovered in earth's rich- 
est mines can compare with it. Go to any of our 
Western states and you find this fruit growing by ship 
loads. 



18 THE GOLD MINE 

Somewhere in the unknown are other frnits — 
luscious, hardy and prolific, which will yet add millions 
to the nation's wealth. 

'No one can take out a patent on these discoveries. 
The wide field is open to all. You can be an inde- 
pendent mine owner, and perhaps some quiet farmer 
may yet capture the prize for which all the E^orth- 
west is longing. 

In floriculture what marvelous changes have been 
made in roses. The single rose is the product of I^a- 
ture. The double rose is the product of I^ature and 
art. What marvelous crosses are being made. One 
day in the East I rode on the cars with the noted Jack- 
son Dawson, of the Arnold Arboretum, and he was 
taking eight hybrids of the Wichuriana of Japan. 
There is no limit here, and a wide awake boy or girl 
can carry on the process. 

What improvements in lilacs, spira3as, and syringas, 
or Philadelphus. This same D'awson showed me a 
syringa of marvelous beauty and enormous flowers — 
one of his own creations. 

Some one crossed the delicate little Thunbergi Spira3a 
with the Multiflora and that gave us the Arguta, which 
blooms with the tulips — a snowdrift of white — the 
earliest of all. And it has such persistent foliage 
that in the autumn it is like a flower garden of itself 
with its rich tints and marvelous colorings ; thus mak- 
ing an attractive display at each end of the season. 

Lilacs are all the while being produced from seed. 
Plant the choicest kinds with the rich diversity of 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 19 

bloom and foliage and from the seed you will have 
some surprises of loveliness. 

How much has been achieved by the wizards of hor- 
ticulture who have opened new gates to let us look on 
broad empires of possibilities. And how much is be- 
ing done all the while along the lines of private re- 
search. 

Take the carnation. Only a few years ago it was 
a humble flower and now a glory fit for the dwellings 
of kings. And the limit of its possibilities has not 
yet been reached. 

When Rosenfield gave the world his Floral Treasure, 
and Golden Harvest, he discovered gems whose beauty, 
soon to be increased to millions, will make glad the 
homes of the great ISTorthwest and cheer up the prairie 
desolations. 

Father Terry, of Iowa, has given us over one hundred 
paeonies. Among them the Yictor, whi'ch is victori- 
ous, and Excelsior which excels, and Morning Star 
with delicate rays radiating from a heart of gold. 
What a troup of loveliness to rise up and bless the old 
man as he journeys to the land of the setting sun. 

And see what gTeat work he has accomplished in 
bringing cheer to so many homes. It is said he is a 
benefactor who makes two blades of grass grow in the 
place of one. What shall we say of the man who in 
the place of none shall clothe the brown earth with a 
carpet of beauty on which the soul can feast — who dis- 
covers gems that will increase to millions ? There is 



20 THE GOLD MINE 

alto'uism here. It is like an almoner handing out 
the richest gifts of Providence to a needy world. 

What I want to do is to awaken a zeal in your 
hearts, so that you can go out and possess these new 
fields. There is a charm in taking the flowers already 
established and propagating them, thus clothing barren- 
ness with beauty. But we have reached that point 
where the ordinary man or woman, boy or girl, can 
add to the treasures of the world and the delights of 
society. 

A quiet woman in Indiana a few years ago planted 
some paeony seeds. One plant she named, on my ad- 
vice. General Lawton. It had a splendid large flower. 
She sold it for $100. Another, named for her de- 
parted husband, brought $150. Another of her crea- 
tions — Walter Morgan — has a delicate flower of lovely 
fragrance, and of pure gold. There is no law which 
forbids research along these lines. No warranty deed 
on God's fields with signs up, "'No trespassing here." 

What wonder, when I see these things, that the fas- 
cination comes over me and I am planting many pounds 
of seeds of choicest paeonies and am willing to forego 
the delights of heaven a few years to see the new 
forms of loveliness they will unfold. 

NOTE THIS FACT. 

When flowers are first developed from the original 
type, they easily revert back again. It probably took 
a thousand tests to produce a double dahlia. Now the 
family is so well established that the progeny retain 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 21 

the characteristics of the parents. A lady not long 
ago saved some dahlia seeds and was amazed to find 
an immense, symmetrical double white, which she nam- 
ed Surprise. 

Last spring I sowed a lot of seeds of choice cannas, 
and was delighted to fine some of rare merit — fully 
equal to many of the finest named ones. 

I keep about fifty kinds of mixed columbines ; and 
their product gives an almost endless permutation of 
form and color, and I note many far superior to the 
old named varieties. There is this about the colum- 
bine family, — they use all the prismatic rays in mak- 
ing their garments of loveliness. 

Take the phloxes developed from our wild prairie 
flowers. They have pushed ahead and branched out 
into so many varieties their mother would not know 
them. 

This summer I have raised from seed of the best 
some twenty new sorts — surpassing most of our im- 
ported ones. 

Now remember ! these gems are not like the precious 
jewels which never multiply. You can increase them 
rapidly and you can have a garden of delight all your 
own; and standing there like a god among your new 
creations, you can explain the petition, ^'Let the beauty 
of the Lord, our God, be upon us.'^ 

It is delightful to stand as an interpreter to unfold 
the divine plans and uncover His munificence to an 
admiring world — to introduce God to men. 



CHAPTER III. 

THE PREPARATION OF THE GROUND AND THE 
PREPARATION OF THE OWNER. 

People often have crude ideas about planting. A 
lady bought some roses and went out with a case knife 
and cut a small hole in the sod, stuck in the bushes not 
as deep by two inches as when in the nursery, and then 
said: ^'Thank goodness that job is done." Of course 
they died, and she blamed the rascally nurseryman for 
sending out stock that would not live. 

There is little use of planting till the grgund is ready. 
It should be in a well pulverized and friable condition 
so that trees and plants can readily draw food from it. 
If you leave a piece in grass, or break up the native 
sod, the soil becomes granulated and does not pack close- 
ly around the roots, and so cannot feed the plant. The 
best way would be to manure well and summer fallow. 
Then you have the soil in the best and most responsive 
condition. 

You may want to plant near where you have large 
trees which you wish to save. ]^ow here is a problem. 
How can you make trees and plants gTow in a domain 
already pre-empted by great, ravenous trees which often 
send out roots twice as far as they measure in length ? 

You may talk about trusts and monopolies; there is 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 23 

no trust like a great, strong cottonwood, and you might 
as well cut it down. It wants the earth and will have 
all it can reach of it. If in town it will take your own 
and your neighbor's garden. 

Other trees you may wish to save, but they are not 
so ravenous, and you can readily check their aggres- 
sions. Suppose you have a row of elms or ash you 
wish to keep and yet you want to plant near them. Dig 
a trench three feet deep about six or eight feet from the 
trees. You will thus cut off all the feeding roots that 
are sapping the ground you wish to plant. 

Now jirepare your ground thoroughly and do your 
planting. Of course you fill up the ditch. 

"Will not the roots cross the trench again ?" Cer- 
tainly; but it will take time, and thus give your new 
trees and shrubs a chance to get started. Then if trees 
are checked in one direction they have a tendency to 
work harder in another direction, and by the time they 
invade their old territory your planting will be so well 
rooted and established that little harm can be done. 

People who plant near large trees say it is the shade 
that does the mischief. But in our Western land of 
hot sunshine, what little shade there is would be helpful 
to the young trees. The trouble always is with the 
roots. 

When you have your ground all ready you will find 
it just hungry for the trees and plants, and will give 
them a cordial home. 

While the ground is being prepared you had better 
prepare yourself. 



24 THE GOLD MINE 

I never could understand why the farmer considers 
horticulture a sealed book which he never can open. It 
is a part of his business, as much as raising wheat, corn, 
cattle and hogs. It is easy, too, and intensely attractive. 
Strange that a man will go by a tree or plant and know 
nothing about it, and be a perfect stranger to his kind- 
est neighbors. He shuts himself out of a wide world 
of enjoyment. 

The more one studies the more he is impressed with 
the 

INTELLIGENCE OF THE PLANT AND TREE WORLD. 

We should regard the tree as an intelligent, hard 
working, honest friend, endowed with an intuition that 
is amazing. We talk of the ^^cunning of the rat," and I 
sometimes think a tree is endowed with the same keen- 
ness. 

I know a cottonwood the roots of which plowed their 
way through hard and compact ground two hundred 
feet to a cistern and drank it dry. The people won- 
dered what had become of the water, and there stood the 
tree smiling in triumph, its leaves green and fresh, and 
it was growing with the greatest vigor in a dry time. 

I have a cottage in the Rockies where I love to be 
with nature and watch things. One fall, on a very dry 
mountain side I saw a lot of ponderosa pines which 
seemed to be dying. I examined them closely. The 
soil was poor, or rather no soil at all, only decomposed 
granite, and it had been very dry for two years. Those 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 25 

trees seemed to have studied the matter and decided they 
could not take the whole family through and so they 
dropped over one-half of those long needles and had 
strength enough to support the rest. In my yard was 
this same variety of pine, but the grove was fresh and 
vigorous and they were holding all their needles. I 
wondered how it was. About 150 feet from them was 
an irrigating ditch. I having occasion to dig near the 
banks, I found a Avhole train of the roots drinking up 
the water and sending it back to those trees. 

Often I have noticed fresh and vigorous looking trees 
on the brow of rocky hills where there was no soil and 
the wonder was how they could thrive so well. Going 
down the hillside perhaps one to two hundred feet, I 
saw where the soil had washed away; there the roots 
were running down to the stream and pumping the water 
up the hill to the trees. 

A neighbor had occasion to move some larsre cedars. 
He did it well, exercising the greatest care. In a few 
weeks he called me in and said his trees were dying. 
I examined them. ''No, they are not, only they know 
more than you do. With their root system partly de- 
stroyed they know they cannot carry the foliage in full, 
and so they are 'cutting the coat according to the cloth,' 
and doing it, too, with the greatest nicety. You will 
notice they are only dropping the foliage from the 
tips and the branches just where you should have cat 
them off to have the top proportionate with the root. 
They are doing this, too, with mathematical precision.'' 
The event proved the trees were right. They under- 



26 THE GOLD MINE, 

stood their business and all lived. The dead limbs were 
cut off and the cedars made a fine growth and are really 
beautiful trees. 

Trees will not only go after water but they will go 
after food. I once lived on a place which had a very 
rich piece of ground for a garden, which a former 
resident had discarded. He said he could not make any- 
thing grow there on account of the shade. Digging 
down in the rich soil T found it so full of tiny rootlets 
that it seemed like a piece of sponge. I dug a trench as 
described, cutting off' the roots, and had the finest gar- 
den in town. When I left they invaded the ground 
again and it was given up. 

Some years ago I addressed the Horticultural Society 
of Worcester, Mass., on this topic, ^^Intelligence in 
Trees.'' 

At the close of the meeting that venerable prince 
of horticulturists, O. B. Hadwin, the president, said: 
'^I am glad you spoke on that topic. I had a row of 
apple trees that of course were throwing out their roots 
as foragers in every direction to gather food for the 
trees. One side of the row I dug a trench and put in a 
lot of manure and made it very rich for pieplant. Two 
or three years after I had occasion to dig up those trees 
and I was astonished at the keenness of intelligence 
displayed. I found the roots had all turned and made 
for that rich food, some had gone past the trees, some 
had gone under, and all with a keen scent aimed for 
that trench." 

Did you ever stop to think of the splendid civil en- 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 27 

gineering of a great tree out in the open with its wide 
spreading branches covered with dense foliage ? 

Present this problem to an expert: ^'Here is a tree 
75 feet tall with branches having a spread of 50 feet 
with an immense, well-rounded head. We want you 
to brace this so that it will stand in a wind blowing 80 
miles an hour and not fall over, and you must do it at 
the base." It would take an immense amount of figur- 
ing and an astonishing amount of bracing. But that 
tree, never having studied mathematics or engineering, 
goes quietly at work and solves the problem and does it 
well. Such a tree left entirely to itself seldom blows 
over. It sends down an immense tap root, and then out 
go the laterals like tent cords, and as the tree grows, the 
cords all grow stronger till they get to be immense 
cables. Look at the base. How gnarled and toughened 
and what a gathering of power there, as those mighty 
arms of wood go out to clutch the solid earth, and 
hold the tree in place. Years go by, the top becomes 
heavier and the weight of the wind on that immense 
leverage is something tremendous, but the tree seems 
to have figured it all out and is prepared by additional 
and stronger braces for every emergency. 

Before me as I write this there stand a cherry tree 
and a Japan tree lilac. Both are good friends of mine 
and we think a good deal of each other. The lilac is 
destined to be a large tree 6 inches through and 30 or 
40 feet high. I take the best of care of my trees and 
meet their wants as I would take care of a horse or 



28 THE GOLD MINE 

COW. What is the result ? The lilac was one great 
bouquet of fragrant loveliness. We give you a very 
imperfect picture of it.* And that cherry tree tries to 
outvie itself both in a mantle of splendid bloom and 
again in an immense crop of luscious fruit. The tree is 
a massive flower of crimson and green as it is loaded 
with its burden. 

The poet prophet speaks of ^^the labor of the olive.'' 
That is a fine gem of poetry and opens before us a mar- 
velous chapter on our relation to our trees. In winter 
they are quietly sleeping — resting to get ready for a 
hard summer's work. 

Spring corncs and they begin their labor. If we 
could look tlirough the soil we would see busy toilers 
there by the myriads. Tiny rootlets go out in every 
direction as foragers bringing in supplies. The flowers 
are hard at work throwing out those thread-like roots 
all eager to gather in something. They work like noise- 
less hives of bees, and as busy bringing in their supplies. 
Silently the trees, shrubs and plants partake of the 
nourishment. They work like a prayer in secret w^hich 
is rewarded openly. Look at these mantles of ermine 
and gold that cover the bushes. 

See the emerald crowns upon these trees growing 
fresher and greener. 'Note the immense amount of 
quiet work in the gTOwing branches and in that thick 
new circle which is embracing the trees. 

Look at these flowers on dress parade before you and 
all around you day and night in the front yard and in 

*See page 63. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 29 

the rear; among the ornamental and the fruit trees, 
that intelligent host is at work for you yielding tribute 
as much as the horse does his strength or the cow her 
milk. How much a man loses who does not have these 
intelligent servants at work for him. 

All around us in air and earth, in shower and sun- 
beam, are the unseen treasures — thousands of bushels 
of luscious fruits held in solution waiting for you to 
give mediums for their crystallization so they can ma- 
terialize for you. Oh, the beauty of it and the pathos 
of this noble army waiting to come as faithful toilers 
to work for you, or to stand as faithful sentinels to 
guard your home. And did you ever think that all the 
rays of light in the air about you, all the gorgeous col- 
orings woven into the rainbow, are just waiting to fash- 
ion themselves in forms of radiant loveliness in the 
tulip and columbine, the phlox and the paeony, and 
that lovely army God created to cheer our homes ? 

Just give the good Father a chance to see what He 
can do for you. 

But remember this, that the most stupid of these si- 
lent servants knows enough to die if you don't take 
good care of it. • 



CHAPTER IV. 

DON'T BE STINGY. 

One great drawback in adorning the home grounds is 
penuriousness. 

It is strange, when people are fixing np the house, 
they will spare no expense in the building or furnish- 
ing ; but the moment they go outside, the purse strings 
are pulled tight, and anything costing more than 25 
cents is considered an extortion. 

For instance, a good strong rosebush, well rooted and 
ready for business, is generally sold for 50 cents. But 
the economical lady says : ^^That is outrageous. I can 
do much better than that. I have a catalogue and price 
list of a firm that will sell 12 choice kinds for $1.00 ; 
and they will come by mail, too, so I will save the ex- 
press." She sends for them and gets 12 tiny little 
things that need a microscope sent along with them. 
She plants them out, giving ordinary or even careful 
attention. If she saves one out of the number she will 
do well ; and that will probably be a poor, sickly thing, 
and it will take about three years to bring it up to prop- 
er size. So she has paid out her $1, and lost three 
years. This mail order system is a great drawback. 
It is all right in its place, if you want house plants, or 
small ones for the nursery, where they can have special 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 31 

care. A man wants an evergreen. If he gets a good- 
sized one it will cost him something. But he hears 
where he can get 100 seedling evergreens sent by mail 
for $2.00. He orders them, smiling in the meantime 
at the way he has circumvented his nurseryman. He 
plants them. But they are too small to go out in the 
open, the reflection of the hot sun from the ground kills 
them, or the dry weather, or the weeds take them. Per- 
haps 4 or 5 will live, and they are little sickly things, 
and the money is gone, and the time lost, and nothing to 
si low. 

So for immediate use for outdoor planting the mail 
order system is a delusion and a snare. But it is very 
hard for people to see the difi^erence between a chicken 
that has just learned to peep and the fine fat fowl all 
ready for market. 

Another serious drawback is the tree fakir. He 
was built without a conscience. He never comes to the 
same place twice. It isn't safe. He sells an immense 
amount of lip and cheek and very poor stock. I met 
one not long ago, who told me how he worked it. Said 
he: "I sell 7,000 roses a year at $1.50 each. I just 
razzle dazzle them Avith big names and down they go. 
I sell lots of picea pungens — Colorado blue spruce. I 
always get $2 apiece for them, and then substitute Black 
Hills spruce, which I can buy for 20 cents. They don't 
know the difference." 

The tree fakir is a hynotist. He gets his customer 
in a corner and he is at his mercy. 

My neighbor thought she w^ould try a new man, and 



32 THE GOLD MINE 

he came along with abundant professions of double dis- 
tilled honesty. That is, he said he was honest, and he 
ran down those mean fellows who would betray the con- 
fidence of their customers. For instance, he allowed 
no man to plant his stock but himself. He wouldn't 
trust them. He would plant them so as to be sure they 
would grow. He had something brand new, which for 
size, fragrance and blooming capacity put every known 
variety in the shade. 

He would sell his roses for the very low price of 
$2.00 each. She said she would take three. He plant- 
ed them that day, and she paid him $6.00. They were 
nothing but wild rose bushes, and dead at that. 

Such men discourage people. But they are a race by 
themselves. I have known them to sell very choice 
kinds of apple trees for 75 cents each, and then go to a 
nurseryman's brush pile and pick out refuse trees and 
tag them and palm them off at such high figures. So 
beware of the tree fakir. 

On the other hand, there is no class of men who are 
doing more for the material benefit of the country than 
our hard working, enterprising nurserymen and their 
agents. They are straightforward and honest. They 
have to be. It gives them the heartache sometimes to 
see their experience and integrity all set aside for the 
fakir. With too many all that is needed to secure an 
unlimited confidence in the dealer is that he is a perfect 
stranger. Then he is trusted implicitly. 

Your nearby nurseryman has his reputation at stake. 
He has a sort of fatherly interest in every tree and 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 33 

plant that goes out. He wants them to live, and he re- 
joices in your success. 

Again, his advice is worth much. He can tell you 
what will succeed and what will not. Every nursery- 
man who does an extensive business has spent hundreds, 
if not thousands, of dollars in finding out what he could 
not do ; and he would give you the benefit of his experi- 
ence. If you don't take his advice, you will meet some 
fakir, or you will get some fine eastern catalogue, giving 
a description of things that do well there, and you will 
be tempted to buy. Perhaps you are attracted by the 
charming pictures of the kalmias, azaleas and rhodo- 
dendrons. You just buy the pictures if you" wish, but 
let the plants alone ; for you can no more raise them in 
most parts of the west than you can raise peaches on 
the north pole. 

We will endeavor to ffive vou a list of stock that will 
succeed in your section, and if you are in doubt consult 
the nearest responsible nurseryman or the superintendent 
of your state experiment station. 

But let us return to this penuriousness which strikes 
a person as soon as he steps out of doors. He has built 
a good house. Why don't he and his wife go to the sec- 
ond hand store and hunt up the cheapest bargains and 
buy some old rag carpets, and rickety chairs, and cheap 
tables with broken wings, and bedsteads with those tell- 
tale specks on them, just because they are cheap ? O no. 
They must have nice carpets, good furniture, and every- 
thing to match. A $50 rug is just the thing for the 



34 THE GOLD MINE 

sitting room and a $25 mirror is the thing and the 
chamber suits must all be first class. 

Now the outdoor furnishing will cost something. A 
beautiful silver spruce is $2.00, a silver cedar about the 
same, choice tree lilacs are scarce and cannot be bought 
for a song, choice syringas and spirals will be worth 
25 to 50 cents apiece. Tulips will be $2 or $3 per 100. 
You should have as many as that. You can get lots of 
paconies for $10 per 100, but you had better pay $1 eacli 
for a few choice ones. Remember you cannot get some- 
thing for nothing. Do keep aAvay from the bargain coun- 
ter. There is nothing so expensive as cheap, poorly han- 
dled nursery stock. You should begin right. You go into 
that new house and home, and the moment you enter it 
it begins to depreciate in value. Use your carpets and 
furniture a year and they become second hand goods. 
But it is not so with your front yard. Every tree, 
shrub and flower you plant is at work developing your 
gold mine. You lay out $50 and it soon grows to $100. 
If you want to raise poultry to sell, it is cheaper to pay 
$2 per dozen for a choice strain of Plymouth Rocks or 
Brown Leghorns than to pay 25 cents a dozen for eggs 
from common fowls. You can get all the old fashioned 
lilacs you want for 5 cents apiece, but you cannot get the 
best kinds for that. You can get a common soft maple 
for 25 cents, and it will grow to be a tree. You will 
have to pay $2 for a Schwedlerii purple leafed maple 
whose crown in springtime will seem like a brilliant, 
mammoth paeony outlined against the sky, but the lat- 
ter will pay the best in the long run. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 35 

Your home should be like a beautiful picture, and 
your grounds should be like a fitting home for it. 

Don't be satisfied with putting a thousand dollar pic- 
ture in a ten cent frame. 



. CHAPTER V. 

LAYING OUT THE GROUNDS. 

Much depends on a plan. Some plant in a haphaz- 
ard way and if they find a space stick in a tree and there 
is no system whatever. 

You need a plan for the front yard as well as when 
you huilt your house. We can give no definite rules or 
formulate any definite plans ; for in farm adornment 
you do not want to run everything through the same set 
of molds. You want diversity and to have no two 
grounds exactly alike. 

This subject of laying out grounds is a broad one and 
would make a book of itself. In fact a good many 
books have already been published on this theme. 

S. Parsons, formerly superintendent of Central Park, 
"New York, has lately written a work, which will give 
you some valuable hints. But it is better adapted to 
the east than to the monotonous west. Remember, how- 
ever, that many things recommended, though they do 
well in the east, are worthless in the west. The De- 
partment of Agriculture has lately published Bulletin 
'No. 185, ^'Beautifying the Home Grounds.'' Send for 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 37 

this. It is free, and thougli not very full, it gives many 
useful hints. 

I will, however, make some suggestions which I hope 
will be helpful. I like what I term the amphitheater 
plan. This is nature's plan. Often on the edge of a na- 
tive forest you will see little parks surrounded by trees. 
In the background tall trees. Then as they are more 
scattering they branch out more, and do not grow so tall, 
and then as if to hide the trunks and decaying limbs 
there will be prickly ash, high bush cranberries and 
hazel brush. You notice these grow taller next to the 
trees, the shade compelling them to climb toward the 
light, and then as tliey come down to the border they 
spread out more. This native park gives a good sug- 
gestion for the home grounds, which of course will be a 
little more formal. 

Sui>pose you have one or two acres you wish to fix up. 
To the right and left on the sides of your plat you plant 
a row of elms. These are rank, strong growers, and you 
can depend on them. Next plant a row of basswood or 
native ash, which do not grow as fast. Perhaps next you 
will want a row of white spruce, so hardy over Minne- 
sota and the Dakotas. !N^ow you are coming down. You 
can back up against your trees circles, or semicircles of 
shrubbery. If a circle, put in a spiraea opulifolia in the 
center, for this is the rankest of all. Then Van Honti, 
dropping in now and then a golden one. Then the 
Arguta. Then you come down to the Collosa and CoUosa 
Alba. Then the Thunbergi, and lastly the Anthony 



38 THE GOLD MINE 

Waterer. You have here a mound of beauty with a 
diversity of foliage and a succession of bloom. 

For syringas, put the strong grandiflora in the cen- 
ter. Then coronarius. Then Gordons ; next the old 
sweet-scented of our mothers. Then put in the dwarf 
Lemoine and Avalanche with their profusion of bloom. 
Here, too, you have a wide diversity both in leaves and 
flowers and a wide range of blooming season. 

For lilacs, put a tree lilac in the center, either the 
Chinese or the Japanese, then the Villosa of half tree 
form, then the Bretsclmeider and the Josikaea, then the 
Emodi and Oblata, then Senator Volland, Charles 
X and others, and you will have one of tlie most 
charming collections. Some of the leaves will be al- 
most as large as your hand, and then there will bo the. 
exquisitely delicate ones of the pekinensis and the cut 
leafed Persian, while the time of blooming will range 
from early spring till near the first of July. 

ISTow your amphitheater is coming dowm toward the 
arena. Bring on the perennials and back them up 
against the shrubbery. There are the tall and showy 
tiger lilies, then the rank growing delphiniums or lark- 
spurs, with their immense spikes of bloom — hardy, up 
in Manitoba. You should not have formal or continuous 
rows all the way. Make breaks here and there. jSTow 
put in the radiant phloxes. Then the oriental poppies, 
with their flamelike splendor. Then Gaillardias. Some- 
where in the background you will want cannas. They 
vary. Pillar of Fire grows 7 feet tall, holding up a 
bloom like a torch of flame. These go in the background 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 39 

and those more dwarfish in habit are placed at the front. 
You have now come down to your walk. You can have 
a patch of grass if you wish. You will probably have 
two walks. Between them you can have grass or flow- 
ers, l^ear the road will be the grassy lawn. Let this 
be open unless you put in a Colorado Blue Spruce or a 
White Spruce from your northern forests. If you have 
trees on the roadway keep them trimmed up so the view 
will not be obstructed. 

I should have a large bed of tulips near the house to 
give their early spring cheer and the promise of summer 
unfolding glory. These bloom and wither, but you can 
plant alternate rows of phloxes, which the last of tTune 
Avill commence their work. By this arrangement you 
can stand in your porch and receive the smiles and the 
salutations of this field of loveliness and in the afternoon 
your tired wife can visit with the best dressed and most 
fashionable and aristocratic company on earth — those 
that never gossip, that do their utmost to please her, 
that fairly worship her as a goddess with their sweet 
incense. This plan unfolds the whole scene at a 
glance and enables the passerby to see it also. A man 
does not make all this outlay for himself alone. It is 
for his friends and neighbors and that lovely scene will 
silently preach the evangel of beauty to all that pass by. 
One beautiful yard in a neighborhood would be an in- 
spiration to a whole community. The time will come 
when the tired farmer will take a half day off and spend 
it profitably in the grounds of his progressive neighbor. 

Flow^ers need not be confined to the front; there can 



40 THE GOLD MINE 

be some between the vegetable garden and the house 
— companions of the wife as she does her work. 

There is another system which is the opposite of the 
open one. Your grounds are hidden by a hedge and you 
have winding walks ; and as you turn you have altogether 
new views and are in a sort of a labyrinth of beauty. 
The house is hidden so that when you come upon it it 
seems like a new discovery. The old English system 
was one of seclusion. A high wall with coping of rag- 
ged stone or glass from broken bottles, making it hard 
to climb, enclosed the grounds. Thus secluded from 
public gaze the owner had everything to himself and his 
special friends. But this is rather a selfish plan. 

If you go to the Shaw Gardens at St. Louis, you will 
find that the founder brought this system from England 
and enclosed a portion of the grounds with high walls 
and iron gates. 

If you can afford it, it would be well to consult a land- 
scape gardener like Mr. Nutter of Minneapolis, who 
makes this matter a life study. If you cannot, get what 
aids you can and in the long winter evenings take your 
rule and paper and make a plat, planning for every 
tree and shrub and the distance apart, so when spring 
comes you will know where everything belongs. You 
will find this a delightful study, forecasting the future 
and living on anticipation of a fair elysium which is to 
front your home. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 41 

CAUTION. 

In all jour plans do not forget that these choice 
things must have constant care and good cultivation. 
It is a sad sight to see grounds well planted left to 
weeds, which like robbers delight in stealing the food 
which belongs to the flowers. 

Plant early in the spring. Do not wait for the trees 
to leave out first. Serious losses result from late plant- 
ing. The tree wants time to get ready for its summer 
work and start the roots before the leaves appear. See 
that the soil is pressed firmly around the roots. Plant a 
little deeper than they were in the nursery. Always 
plant in a slight depression, never on a mound or ridge. 
Remember ^^eternal vigilance" is the price of beauty as 
well as liberty. But working among these lovely things 
and caring for them is one of the most delightful occu- 
pations on earth. 



CHAPTEK VI. 

HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS— SELECTING TBEES AND 

SHRUBS. 

You should choose for hardiness those that grow nat- 
urally in your own neighborhood, and those that have 
been well tested and are recommended by your nursery- 
man. 

For instance, I found in Manitoba that cottonwood 
did well, and yet care must be taken to secure northern 
trees. Those that came from Iowa or Is^ebraska would 
not answer at all. 

Eastern butternuts are worthless in ITebraska, and 
yet they grow wild a hundred miles north of St. Paul, 
and probably those would be all right anywhere in the 
west. 

Some one says ^^plant red cedar." That depends on 
where you get them. Those growing in your own 
neighborhood are all right. Those grown in southern 
Illinois are tender in ^Nebraska, and the famous Platte 
cedar will not do in I^orth Dakota. 

That is one trouble with fruits. Apples that do well 
in Illinois and Iowa are worthless in Minnesota, and 
at infinite expense and patience a new race has been cre- 
ated. It has taken a generation to move apples three 
hundred miles north. Years ago I sent seed of the pon- 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 43 

derosa pine and concolor fir to Prof. Green. He raised 
beautiful trees from them. But tlie winter of 1904 was 
famous for its death waves which sought out the weak 
spots of everything. It hit I^ebraska and damaged many 
things supposed to be ironclad, and then it hit Prof. 
Green's plantation hard, and many pines went under 
and others had a ragged look and many of the beau- 
tiful concolor firs were killed outright. 

What was the trouble ? The seeds were gathered 
from the foothills of the Rockies, Had it been taken 
from the high altitudes where for ages the trees had 
been inured to deep snows and intense cold they would 
have been all right. The picea pungens and Engleman 
spruce are taken from an elevation of 10,000 feet, and 
they are hardy in Manitoba. 

White spruce from Maine and Northern Michigan 
are worthless in Nebraska. 

But a portion of that great family have worked their 
way down in the Black Hills about 300 miles north in 
a dryer climate. They are the identical white spruce, 
but as their habitat borders on the great plains they 
are all right. White spruce from the northern part of 
Minnesota can probably be moved down to any part of 
the state. We can move the conifer of the Rocky 
Mountain foothills down to almost any portion of Ne- 
braska and have it do well. But you cannot always 
move it north w^ith safety. A state will have many dis- 
tinct districts. For instance, white pine and Norway 
spruce will do in our river counties, when west of the 
100th meridian they are worse than worthless. The 



44 THE GOLD MINE 

Scotch pine is a good tree for the north, but it cannot 
live where the hot winds sweep the great plains. On 
the other hand the Austrian pine for adaptability leads 
all the conifers in most of the states west of the Missou- 
ri river. I have seen splendid specimens in Oklahoma, 
and on the dry Kansas and l^ebraska plains. ^N^orway 
spruce and white pines do well in Eastern Minnesota, 
while in the western part of the state and in the Da- 
kotas they would be very uncertain. Again there are 
some foreign trees that surprise us by their adaptation 
to most of our conditions. The European mountain ash 
is a success if you can keep the body from sunscald. 
European w^hite birch in most of the west does better 
than the American type. The Russian olive is one of 
the hardiest trees for the semi-arid west and northwest. 
For 15 years under the 100th meridian in l^ebraska it 
took the lead for size and vigor of all the native trees. 
After that it gave attention to producing seed in im- 
mense quantities, which dwarfed it and allowed other 
trees to get ahead of it. For a time it headed the list 
as the best forest tree for the plains. The ^N^orway 
maples seem hardy in our I^orthwestern states. There 
are often freaks also among our ornamental shrubs. 

While in Manitoba I was surprised to see the spiraea 
opulifolia, which I supposed the tender est of the whole 
family, doing well. We are a little fearful of things that 
come from China and Japan, yet at Brandon there was 
the villosa lilac, which I thought would prove the most 
tender of all. The Japanese tree lilac is a great suc- 
cess on the Minnesota experiment grounds and Prof. 



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IN THE FRONT YARD. 47 

Green has raised them by the hundreds from seeds 
gTOwn there. 

As a general thing the dentzias are worthless in the 
west and the syringa or Philadelphus is shy about cross- 
ing the Manitoba line. They seem to be doing all right 
on the experiment grounds of the agricultural college 
of Minnesota. 

So you see the need of consulting your nurseryman, 
who has given years to patient research and experiments. 
Don't trade off his experience for the alluring pictures 
and smooth tongiie of the tree fakir. It is of prime im- 
portance to plant things that will live. It is sad to 
think of the millions expended on failures. While out 
lecturing for our university in a distant city, in an ad- 
dress I noted that many things, especially azaleas, could 
not be made to live in Nebraska. A gentleman took 
me to task. ''You just walk three blocks and I will 
show you one of the finest azaleas you ever set eyes 
on.'' Said I: ''I would walk ten miles to see a good 
thrifty azalea growing in this vicinity for I lost 500 of 
as fine plants as I ever saw and they were under a 
screen at that. You cannot make them live in our soil." 
"Well, I'll show you and I have ordered 12 azaleas. I 
am to pay $12 for them." He triumphantly showed me 
a fine bush which he and the owner said was one brilliant 
mass of bloom. ''But where is your azalea ?" I asked. 
"That bush is a wigelia." The man was crestfallen. 
"Well," said he, "I am in for it. But I'll let my order 
stand," I told him he might as well plant oranges. 

There are some things we cannot account for iii 



48 THE GOLD MINE 

slirubs. We can only determine their adaptability by 
actual test. For instance Prof. Green savs that in the 
genial climate of the Kew Gardens of England the 
hydrangea grandiflora is not considered hardy, while 
it grows to a tree in Minneapolis and laughs at 40 below. 
I also saw it in Manitoba. 

RAISING PLANTS FROM SEEDS. 

In the west and northwest we often have strong drying 
winds just at the time when we want to plant seeds. 
3Iany of our perennials and annuals have very small 
seeds. Even nurserymen do not attempt to raise colum- 
bines, oriental poppies, gaillardias and phloxes from 
seed, but get the plants from the east. Unless one is 
short of means and has a little extra time he would bet- 
ter not bother with seeds but get well established plants. 

You must observe this rule about planting seeds : the 
smaller they are the shallower. If you want to raise 
celery (some of you have tried it) you have found it 
could have only a slight covering, while if you plant a 
black walnut it should go four or five inches deep. 

Another thing : the ground must never dry while seed 
is germinating. This is fatal. There may be moisture 
enough to start them, then there comes a drying wind, 
and that is the end of it. Often complaint is made 
about the seeds when the trouble is with the grower and 
the weather. Some extremely small seeds are best start- 
ed in the house. Plant very shallow in a pan. Often 
we just dust a little earth over them and then put on 
sifted moss, which will retain the moisture. A piece of 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 49 

giinnjsacking or soft cloth that will keep moist will 
answer; and this is kept damp all the while, and is 
removed as soon as the tiny plants appear. 

I have been troubled immensely in trying to grow 
seeds out of doors in the uncertain climate of the west, 
till with long and patient experiments I solved the 
problem. Take boards about a foot wide and build a peri 
4x16; or make your bed according to the number of 
plants you want to raise. I often have 20 of that 
size. ']^ail laths together on crosspieces to shut out half 
the sun. It takes about 16 laths for a square. Your 
crosspieces are nailed on about two inches from the ends 
of the laths. Push the alternate laths over a little so you 
VN^ill gain a little more than four feet in the length of 
your square. You will find this an advantage, for they 
will catch on the boards more readily and will not be so 
easily blown off. You must brace the square so it will 
not get out of shVpe. ]^ow prepare the soil in your pen 
thoroughly. You can do it best before your pen is made. 
Have the ground perfectly level. Sow the seed and 
cover according to the size of the seed. See that the 
earth is moist and in good condition before you sow. 
Having covered the seed put gunnysacking over them 
and give them a good soaking every night. Your screens 
are made so you can put them on and off readily. You 
must take them off to water of course. Keep them on 
all the time. When your seeds begin to come up (and 
they cannot help coming up with this process) take 
of the gunnysacking and water as the plants need it. 
If you are raising oriental poppies keep the screen on 



50 THE GOLD MINE 

all summer. I lost 50,000 one year by taking off the 
screen. It is different with gaillardias and columbines. 
When they are well rooted take off the screens. They 
do better in the full sunlight. 

How $10 can he made to grow to $1,000. If I were 
on a farm I know that in a few years I could accom- 
plish it, and it is largely by the processes I am de- 
scribing that I have succeeded in producing one of the 
largest ornamental nurseries in the west in a short space 
of time. If you only knew it, there is a whole bank of 
money in your brain and hands. Six years ago I 
found myself disabled, so I had to leave in a measure a 
professional life which I had carried on for more than 
forty years. My health was poor and nerves worn 
threadbare by a strenuous life. I found myself without 
money and the wolf of want was looking in at the door. 
Too many under the circumstances would have been 
appalled. But all along I had taken delight in horti- 
culture and for years kept a state experiment station. 
An important position in the east placed me in contact 
with the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, of which 
I became a member, where I formed the acquaintance 
with some of the foremost men in the nursery business. 
Of course I got all I could out of them. I had a splen- 
did opportunity to see the parks and private grounds 
of 'New England, and get acquainted with the superin^ 
tendents and gardeners. I gathered and stored all the 
items I came across, and when I must give up my life 
work I had shattered health, no money to speak of — 
just head and hands, ^'heart tvithin and God overhead," 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 51 

and good, kind old Mother INTature ready to take me by 
the hand. I went to work and pulled a nursery out of 
my head and hands which visitors tell me is the best in 
its line west of Chicago, and I think they are correct. 

Here are thousands of lilacs in 50 different kinds, 
20 kinds of syringas and as many of spiraeas, a fine 
lot of viburnums, $5,000 worth of paeonies in 400 
varieties and perhaps 200,000 choice perennials. When 
I talk of gold mines I am no parlor knight. I have 
done most of the work myself at an age when most men 
retire. I do not mention this in a spirit of egotism, but 
simply to show what an old man thro^vn aside can do; 
and a young man certainly has greater advantages. 

If we could call our powers into play we could dress 
up this dirty old Avorld of ours so the angels would hard- 
ly know it. 

How it was done. 

I planted a lot of evergreen seed, using the screen sys- 
tem. Then a lot of perennials, and they grew. 1 
secured a few lilacs of leading sorts and grafted them, 
a bit of scion on a piece of lilac root just as the nur- 
seryman makes his apple grafts. I found that most 
kinds of spiraeas, notably Van Honti and opulifolia, 
w^ould grow from cuttings like willows, and so with the 
Philadelphus or syringas. One plant in a short time 
would make 100, and then 1,000. I planted late in 
the fall and mulched, or else early in the spring. I 
secured a lot of choice trees when they were small 
and then planted them on rich land, and looked on to 
see them grow. Choice paeonies, some costing $2 to 



52 THE GOLD MINE 

$5, I found, if well cultivated in rich ground, mul- 
tiplied fast. And now, my dear reader, if I can only 
^^stir up the gift that is in you'' and have your hand 
know its cunning and your brain its power and re- 
sources, I shall feel that I have done a good work. 
We talk of waste and there is too much of it. For 
two years the farmers of ^N^ebraska lost wheat enough 
to easily feed the whole state, by just waiting for a 
threshing machine so they could thresh out of the 
shock. But the greatest waste is in our unused and 
undeveloped powers and uneducated hands. 

DOGS AND FLOWERS. 

I sometimes think our boasted civilization lies along 
the borders of barbarism, — a worthless dog preferred 
to a winsome child. 

^'N'us," said a little fellow who was taking an air- 
ing in his little carriage, ^Svho vas dat lady wid a 
little dog dat tissed me?" 

"Whjj that was your mamma." 

There are thousands of childless people who center 
their affections on a contemptible cur. 

A friend of mine was taking a ride on the cars. 
Near Kansas City a girl got in bringing a little pug 
in her arms. She coddled him and petted him and 
then said: ^^Does the little darling want a drink of 
water?" She took a beautiful gold lined cup, got it 
full of water and gave the beast a drink. He took 
half of it, slobbering all over the cup, and she drank 
the rest of it. Miss Dilletante, living down east, said 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 53 

with a sigh, "I must go to Florida this winter, for 
Fido is ailing.'' 

Could such things cultivate flowers and dogs, too? 
Here in N^ebraska a banker sent for quite a bill of 
choice stock. He was willing to pay a good price. A 
year after he wrote me that thouo^h the stock seemed 
tine, yet it was not doing well. I went to see him, 
and a more woe-begone and bedraggled lot of stuif I 
never saw. The beautiful evergreens which should 
have been a pride and a joy were sick and dying. 

^'How many dogs do you keep?" I asked. 

"Six." 

"I should think so, by the way they have got in 
their work." 

I was angry to see the finest trees that money could 
produce ruined in that way. 

I heard J. W. Manning, the leading horticulturist 
of Massachusetts, say in the Horticultural Society of 
Boston, ''that dogs ruined more evergreens and choice 
shrubs than all other causes combined. The dog, like 
death, loves a shining mark, and his peculiar system 
of irrigation is death. So if you are bound to culti- 
vate dogs you might as well give up flowers. On the 
farm a good shepherd dog is often a necessity and he 
has generally enough to do to keep out of mischief. 

I am often annoyed by great worthless dogs rushing 
in among my flowers and breaking or tearing them 
down. A dog has no more right to run at large than 
has a cow or horse. 

It is sometimes pathetic to see a lady try to cul- 



54 THE GOLD MINE 

tivate dogs and flowers in the same yard. She plants 
a bulb and the dear little doggie digs it up to see 
what it is. She has a choice bed of flowers and he 
makes his bod among them, tearing them down at his 
pleasure. Some people will persist in keeping a dog 
to keep off chicken thieves, and his bark will keep 
people awake for several blocks and he will rob the 
neighbors out of a thousand dollars worth of sleep to 
save a 50 cent chicken, when the chicken wasn't in 
any danger. Well, take your choice, dogs or flowers; 
but I would infinitely rather take the flowers. 



CHAPTER VII. 

PLANTING FOR FOLIAGE EFFECT. 

Landscape gardeners differ in taste and also in ad- 
vice. Some plant a large number of trees with dif- 
ferent shades in their leaves and some discard them 
altogether and insist on the universal green. But "Na- 
ture loves variety and gives it to us and we may as 
well use it. 

TREES OF SILVER FOLIAGE. 

The Bolleana Poplar is a charming tree, in form 
much like the Lombardy only more compact. The 
upper side of the leaves is green and the under side is 
white. I do not know how long lived it will be. It 
does not seem as vigorous as some others, and though 
hardy enough in resisting the cold it seems liable to 
disease. 

The Ahele also belongs to the poplar family. This 
was brought from Europe and though quite hardy it 
seldom makes a good straight tree, and sprouts as badly 
as the black locust. 

The Nivea, more recently introduced, is a desira- 
ble tree. It is a more rapid grower, has larger leaves 
and a much better form. 

The Russian Olive is hardy all over the northwest. It 



56 THE GOLD MINE 

is very attractive v^here you can get it into shape. But 
grooving it is the terror of the nurseryman. It re- 
quires more training, trimming and scolding than 
any other tree. It is inclined to sprawl and branch 
and grow bushy. But once they get it in shape, it is 
one of the finest we have. It has four silvery tints, 
one on the upper and another on the under side of 
the leaves. The growing twigs have yet another and 
the fruit is burnished silver. You watch it when the 
breeze is playing with it and mingling all these shades, 
and you will deem it one of the finest you ever saw. 
In the spring it is covered with little golden flowers 
and each one seems a tiny phial uncorked to fill all the 
air with a delicious fragrance. It is a delightful bee 
pasture and a grove of them is filled with the hum 
and roar of the delighted honey makers. 

The Buffalo Berry belongs to the same eleagnus 
family. They have an afiinity and I have grafted one 
onto the other successfully. It does not become as 
large a tree as the other. In some localities it bears 
enormously. This also has sweet scented flowers. The 
fruit is excellent, fully equal to our currants, with the 
advantage of holding on till midwinter. In some lo- 
calities they are shy bearers, but on the University 
experiment grounds at St. Anthony Park the limbs 
were bending with their burdens of fruit. 

The Regalis or Regal Willoiu is the most beautiful of 
all the willow family. Two kinds bear this name, but 
the real one has leaves burnished satiny silver, delicately 
veined. I think it will prove hardy anywhere. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 57 



GOLDEN FOLIAGE. 



The Van Gertii Golden Poplar seems to be related 
to the Carolina poplar and the cottonwood family. It 
is quite yellow while young but as the tree gets age the 
leaves turn to a pale green. 

The English Golden Oah is a very popular tree. 
But I fear ''hardy as an oak" will not mean much with 
it. I noticed it killed back some with me last win- 
ter. 

The Golden Elm has very striking foliage. The 
color is clear and good. Most of these trees do not 
seem hardy when quite young, but as they get age I 
think they will be all right. These trees of rare foliage 
should be sheltered a little from our burning suns. I 
once secured some variegated catalpas. I saw them 
growing in Waukegan, 111., and they were so charming 
I must have them. I planted them under the 100th 
meridian in N^ebraska. No sooner did those beautiful 
leaves appear than they were burned to a crisp by the 
hot sun and drying winds. 

A tree seems sometimes gifted with reason, and these 
seemed to say, "You don't like our style and we will 
try something else.'' Tbej put out no more variegated 
leaves. The foliage was like the other catalpas, only a 
shade lighter. But they stayed on and the trees grew 
and kept up with the others. 

There is a Golden Leaved Ash^ but I have not tested 
it. There is also a golden variety of the silver maple; 
but I fear it would not be hardy in the west, for this 



58 ^ THE GOLD MINE 

species of maple is sensitive on being moved north 
very far. And the red maple, so popular in the east, is 
worthless in Nebraska. 

The Golden Hop Tree is a success in most of the 
west. It is a variety of the great hop tree family. 
These grow wild in the Rockies and in many parts of 
the United States. They bear great clusters of hops. 
It is said they will take the place and do the. work of 
the vine hops. They have a strong hop-like odor. The 
yellow type is fine, only it is somewhat difficult to get 
the tree up into good shape. It prefers to sprawl and 
grow bushy. 

Among shrubs we have the golden elder, the yellow 
spiraea and syringa. ITature seems to love the gold. 
Along the foothills and up in the Rockies there is a 
marvelous prodigality of this color, as if they were hang- 
ing out the sign to tell of the rich gold fields beneath. 

TllEES OF PURPLE FOLIAGE. 

The most conspicuous and attractive of them all is 
Rivers Beach. I secured some choice ones, for which 
I paid a good price and had them well sheltered. I 
bought also 500 common beach to bud the purple ones 
on. These were under a screen of lath. They all got 
up the worst strike I ever saw. They utterly refused 
to grow and every one of them died. They joined the 
great procession of azalias and rhododendrons which 
had gone on before. 

So you see the need of consulting your nurseryman 
if you would avoid serious losses. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 59 

The Norway Magpie is hardy in the west and this has 
three sports or variations that are worthy of all praise. 

The Schwedlerii or Scliwedlers Maple is a glory, 
in springtime unfolding a massive head of purple 
like a giant flower projected against the sky. It hard- 
ly seems possible that it could be only a tree. After- 
wards the leaves turn to a dark green, while the new 
shoots are all the while showing the purple. 

Geneva is another distinct varietv of nearlv the 

</ 1/ 

same color. 

Then to match the Schwedlerii and balance up the 
seasons, we have the Beitenbach Maple, an excellent 
and striking variety of pyramidal form. The foliage 
is beautiful green in the spring, changing to purple 
in midsummer and then to glov/ing scarlet in the 
autumn. Here then we have three charming varieties 
from this one family of Norways. 

The purple leafed birch does well also in the west. 
I have seen some fine specimens in Northern Nebraska. 
Tliere are two forms of elm that have purple leaves. 
In one case the leaf is a solid color and in the other 
case the foliage is edged with purple. 

Among the shrubs we have the purple leafed bar- 
berry. Justly or unjustly the barberry family is 
charged with generating wheat rust just as the red cedar 
is accused of generating the apple rust. 

PLANTING FOR AUTUMN EFFECT. 

Our forests and mountains are famous for their 
splendid coloring after the first frosts have come. We 



60 THE GOLD MINE 

have seen our western mountains clothed with marvel- 
ous tints and colors. Often excursions are planned 
from the Atlantic cities to the mountains of Vermont 
and !N^ew Hampshire for the magnificent nature paint- 
ings seen nowhere else. The whole landscape is like a 
canvas broad and vast on which pictures are painted 
which thrill the soul. 

Said a gentleman to an English visitor as thej were 
standing before a scene of surpassing beauty, when 
such glowing colors under the clear sky made the whole 
glorious mountain seem a vast bouquet of loveliness: 
^^Did you ever see anything like that ?" ^ Well/' was the 
reply, ^^don't you think it is a little tawdry V Thus 
insulting nature in her glorious temple. He was 
probably brother to the man who stood by Niagara, 
when the thundering waters were making the earth 
tremble. "Did you ever see anything like that? Such 
mighty volumes falling into such a tremendous abyss.'' 
"Well, what's to hinder ?" was his only reply. But 
people are not all kickers and cynics. We love the 
beautiful. And when Nature puts on her autumn 
dress we can but admire her. It is like the wild rol- 
licking festival of the Latin countries just before the 
Avorld sobers down to Lent. 

It is well to plant for this color effect. There are 
many things that will greatly aid us and our grounds 
are large enough. We can have much enjoyment along 
this line. Where the hard maples can be made to grow 
you will see them with their crowns of gold. The wild 
cherry is dressed in red and crimson. The black haw 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 61 

is very attractive in its coat of many colors. The 
spiraea arguta, the first to bloom in the spring, makes 
its exit into winter with sumptuous garments of gold, 
red and purple. This great show is ^N^ature's last at- 
tempt to enliven the world when the flowers are all 
gone and the leaves begin to fall, and it is well to help 
her with her last carnival of colors. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE LILAC. 

The name comes from the Persian word, I Hag, a 
flower. The common kind has been in cultivation for 
ages. It probably originated in Persia. ^N'urserymen 
and botanists now call these syringas, and the syringas 
are classed as Philadelphus ; bnt as we are Avriting for 
the common people we will use their terms. 

If one should ask the ordinary observer how many 
kinds there Avere he would answer three, the common 
purple, the white and the Persian. There are over 130 
kinds now in cultivation, and the number is increas- 
ing by hybridizing. Why this great family of hardy 
ornamentals has been ignored and neglected all these 
years, it is hard to understand, for they are exactly 
what is needed to cheer up the great northwest. They 
are among the hardiest things we have, and there is 
hardly one in the large collection but Avhat will thrive 
in Manitoba. The time of flowering reaches from ear- 
ly spring till about the first of July, and the variety 
of foliage is something wonderful, varying from the 
large corrugated leaves of the Bretschneider to tlie 
delicate foliage of the Pekinensis and the feathery- 
leaves of the cut-leafed Persian. We have secured a 
photo of half a dozen kinds to show the rich variety. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 65 

In color the blossoms range from snowy white to pur- 
ple, and if yon have a good collection you will have 
continuous bloom till the last of June. 

The Vulgaris is the kind generally used in the west. 
It is rather a shy bloomer in most places. They are 
notorious for sprouting, and wander out from the pa- 
rent plant almost as bad as the Canada thistle. Peo- 
ple put up with their vagaries on account of their sweet 
and generous blooms, but in this respect they are far 
surpassed by some of the more modern sorts. Charles 
the Tenth ranks among the best as a great bloomer. 
Belonging to the Vulgaris family it is inclined to 
sprout, however. There are many striking variations 
in this Vulgaris family, and, if growing near others, 
seedlings from them will show quite a variation. We 
have known parties to raise plants from seeds of the 
common ones, but there is little chance of improvement, 
for "like begets like." At the Brandon station in 
Manitoba the superintendent has a hedge raised from 
the seed of Charles the Tenth, and I noted quite a 
variation in the size of the bushes and in the foliage 
also, showing that there was a mixed parentage some- 
where. Mr. Bedford said that there was quite a dif- 
ference in the blossoms also, that some were even 
superior to the parent, which was saying a good deal. 

The Persians. These have slender branches and are 
sure bloomers. They do not sprout like the Vulgaris, 
yet they multiply from the stool, and if these are taken 
up and pulled apart a single clump will often produce 
a dozen. 



66 THE GOLD MINE 

There are three kinds : The cut-leafed, the common 
purple, and the white — the blossoms are not pure white, 
but nearly so : they have a slight tint. The cut-leafed is 
one of the most delicate and beautiful plants in exist- 
ence. The foliage alone is of such a peculiar type that 
of itself would be a sufficient recommendation, but added 
to this it has sweet purple blossoms. Closely allied to 
the Persian, and hard to distinguish from it, is the Roth- 
niogensis, sometimes called the Eouen lilac, because it 
originated there. There are two types of this, the purple 
and the white. They are hardy and vigorous, as well as 
profuse bloomers. I imported quite a lot from France. 
One trouble with the whites is, they are very tardy 
bloomers. The common white, the virginal, and gTan- 
diilora alba, all want to take their time. But the Roth- 
mogensis alba commences almost at the ground. The 
first year from France some of them showed bloom 
when only twelve to eighteen inches high, and the next 
year they were covered with flowers when only two 
feet tall. I am highly pleased with them. 

The Emodi is from the Himalayas. It is a strong, 
vigorous shrub, having enormous leaves for a lilac, and 
blooms in June. There is a species of this called the 
Variegated. I secured some, and am highly pleased 
with them. In the dry climate of the west, with hot 
winds and hot suns, most trees and shrubs of variegated 
foliage are sadly affected. However, this does not seem 
to mind it, but preserves its rich coloring through it 
all. I think this is a fine acquisition, and there will 
be a great demand for it. 



IN THE FRONT YARD 67 

The OhlcUa is from China. It has large, thick, 
heavy, heart-shaped leaves, which never mildew. It 
blooms several days earlier than any of the rest, head- 
ing the whole procession by at least a week. It has 
another attraction : it holds its foliage a long time, and 
in the fall takes on a rich, dark russet color. Like the 
Spinra Argiita, it has attractions for both ends of the 
season. We have two other remarkable ones from 
China. One is the Ligiistriana, resembling the Privet. 
It has long, slender branches and rather small leaves. 
It grows fifteen to twenty feet high. The flowers, 
which are yellowish white, hang in large clusters, usu- 
ally in pairs. This is quite hardy, and seems easy of 
propagation. There is a variety of this called Argentia, 
said to have silver leaves. I have never seen this, and 
do not know how the foliage would stand our climate. 

The Tree Lilacs. Securing these has been one of 
the triumphs of horticulture. They are perfectly har- 
dy all through the west. 

The Pekineiisis. Some fifteen years ago I planted 
some of these under the 100th meridian, in [N^cbraska, 
where we have one of the most trying climates in the 
world. We liad three consecutive years of terrible 
drouth, and the American siroccos, the hot winds of 
the plains, prevailed to such an extent that many trees 
were wiped out of existence. Six kinds of poplars and 
as many kinds of willows were entirely killed. I left 
the place, and the lilacs were left to the weeds. Yet 
the Pekinensis was cheerful and smiling with bloom 
through it all, and when the mercury dropped to 35 



68 THE GOLD MINE 

below it was all the same. I have a fine grove of these 
trees, now six years old. Some of them are about a 
foot in circumference, and fifteen feet tall. They 
are trees, not shrubs. They do not bloom as early as 
the bush lilacs, but make up for lost time when they 
get at it. They have gTeat spikes of snow white, honey 
scented flowers. If they never bloomed at all they 
would be worth planting on account of their gracefully 
drooping branches and fine foliage. The leaves are 
small, and those on the young shoots have a purplish 
tinge. They are yet scarce and high, but it pays to 
have them. In the future they will be used for ave- 
nues, where their splendid bloom and pendulous b»'an- 
ches will be very attractive. They propagate readily 
by grafting them on the root of the common lilac. 
Only note this : If you use the lateral roots of the Vul- 
garis they wdll sprout like the mischief. If you lake 
. the tap roots, they cannot sprout. You graft just as 
the nurseryman grafts his apples in winter — a piece of 
scion and a piece of root to* match. Make a splic? or 
lip graft, and Avind with waxed thread. Sometimes, 
when compelled to use a lateral root, I have taken 
them up after the first year and cut off the Vulgaris 
root, leaving only those thrown out from the scion. By 
doing this you have them on their own roots. Grafted 
trees should be planted deep, so you can get roots from 
the scion of the tree itself. Otherwise if you depend on 
the Vulgaris root your tree will be dwarfed. I much 
prefer to sow the seed and draw on my friends east for 
it. Then we have a tree on its own roots. 




Japan Tree Lilac on the Grounds or C. S. Harrison^ of York, 

Nebraska, 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 71 

Kight here let me say that the root of the Persian 
lilac is the best to graft on of anything I ever tried. 
Both, the tree lilacs, and almost all the other kinds, 
take well on it, and it does not sprout like the Vulgaris. 
You must train these trees to a single stem. If not, 
they will branch too low, or be bushy. It is not a hard 
matter to do this. They will grow about as fast and as 
large as our native ash. They require rich ground and 
good cultivation. I know several people who got small 
trees, and put them in the sod, and then complained 
that they did not do welh If any one doubts tlie ability 
of the lilacs to make trees, let him see the splendid grove 
of them here in York. 

The Syringa Japonica or Japan Lilac. When this 
was first introduced into the east it created quite a 
furor, and the trees rapidly sold for $5 each. The 
Shady Hill Nursery sent to Japan for a bushel of seed, 
and commenced growing them on a large scale. One 
grew from seed, in the Arnold Arboritum, of J>oston, 
in twenty years, to a height of thirty feet, and it was 
thirty inches around three feet from the ground. 1 
measured it myself. It is said that in their native 
mountains of Japan they gTow to be a foot through and 
fifty feet tall. I judge this tree would not stop till 
it reached those dimensions. They are hardy in the 
north. Prof. Green has some fine ones on the experi- 
ment grounds of the Minnesota University, and he has 
raised hundreds from the seeds gathered from them. 
They can readily be grafted on the root of the common 
Persian lilac. 



72 THE GOLD MINE 

The Villosa is a large, strong growing lilac from 
Japan. You might call it half tree. I supposed this 
would be the tenderest of all, but I found it growing 
and thriving at Brandon, Manitoba. It has a purple 
blossom in June. I wish some one would graft these 
on the tree lilac and then plant the seed. I am sure 
desirable results would be secured. At first this one 
does not impress you. You see a few blooms, not ex- 
tra large. But some summer you will be astonished 
to find the whole bush turned to bloom, one great bou- 
quet of fragrant loveliness. This does not graft well, 
not even on its own roots, any more than does the snow- 
ball ; but jow can layer it just as you would the snow- 
ball, with the same results. 

Double Flowers. Following the order of develop- 
ment we now have many lilacs with double flowers. 
The same results are reached here as with the rose, car- 
nation and dahlia, and we really know but little of 
what is before us, but from what has been accom- 
plished along these lines we may expect great things. 
We have among the doubles Senator Volland, Jean 
Bart, Emile Lemoine, De Humbolt, Linne, Madame 
Lemoine and many others. 

The Best Kinds. From my own experience at the 
York experiment station, I would recommend all the 
Persians, the two Bothmogensis, Dr. Bretschneider, 
Josekae, the Emodi, green and variegated, Villosa, 
Charles the Tenth, Pyramidalis, Senator Volland, 
Glori d' Croncles, Ligustriana, and the two' tree lilacs. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 73 

It is a shame to let the front yard go unadorned when 
such splendid things are waiting your beck to take their 
places as part of the family. They are ready to do 
their utmost to cheer and enliven the home. 



CHAPTEK IX. 

THE VIBURNUM OR SNOWBALL. 

This is quite a numerous and interesting family. 
Most people suppose there is only one, and that the 
old kind with which we are so familiar. 

This is called Viburnum Sterilis. There are no seeds 
following the great double flowers which appear in 
spring time. It generally takes the hush form, though 
with a little care it can be trained into a tree, and 
when it is 15 feet tall, with massive head, covered with 
a profusion of snowy blooms, it is exceedingly attrac- 
tive. These are ordinarily propagated by layers. 

Some keep bushes for that purpose. Pull down the 
lower branches and cover them with six inches of 
earth. Allow no weeds to grow near and in the fall 
you will have nice, well rooted plants. These are cut 
off and planted by themselves. I .'have sometimes 
raised a dozen from a single bush. 'No home should 
be without these snowballs. They are hardy and great 
bloomers. 

Viburnum Opulis is the high bush cranberry so com- 
mon in the Minnesota forests. I well remember in the 
early days that it was our delight in winter to come 
upon clumps of these berries in that northern land 
when fruit was scarce and hisih. One trouble in rais- 



IN THE FRONT YARD 75 

ing this kind has been this : They grow in Europe and 
in some of the eastern states a'nd for a long time I 
was disappointed in them for they were not hardy; 
bnt, securing them from the north, they were all right. 
I never saw a finer collection than Professor Green has 
at St. Anthony Park. He went into the woods and 
secured the most prolific he could find, and propagated 
from these, and they were very attractive. There 
were great clusters of bright red berries hanging on 
the bushes wherever there was a chance ; in some 
cases bending down the branches and making the 
little trees gi'aceful weepers. They do better shaded 
from the sun, and will do best on the north side of a 
grove. The Sterilis is a variation from this species. 
They are alike in foliage and the habit of growth is much 
the same. Here you have a plant highly useful as well 
as exceedingly beautiful. You have blossoms in the 
spring, and the whole bush in the fall is a splendid 
bouquet, with its glowing red, and the foliage of both 
species in the fall has the richest of tints, making a 
combination of effects which cannot but be appreciated. 
You secure these by sowing the seeds and letting them 
remain two winters. Or buy the bushes ready grown. 

Viburnum Cassinoides has branches covered with 
white flowers in June, followed by black berries in the 
fall. 

Dentaium or Dentated Leafed Viburnum proves to 
be very hardy in I^ebraska, and I presume will be all 
over the Northwest. The leaves of deep green are 
large, dented, wrinkled and corrugated, making them 



76 THE GOLD MINE 

very attractive. They have white flowers in the spring, 
followed by great clusters of berries of shining blue. 
They prove hardy in Manitoba. 

Viburnum' Lentago is a native species^ growing from 
Maine to Georgia. It is a handsome, low growing tree 
of great beauty. I do not know whether it has been 
tested fully in the West. This is called the sweet 
viburnum or sheep berry. Its flowers are creamy 
white, and very fragrant. The foliage is light glossy 
green. It has a profusion of berries in the fall. 

Lantanoidcs is another small and shapely tree belong- 
ing to this family. 

Primifolium or the black haw also belongs in this 
list, and it is interesting to know that two of the impor- 
tant branches of this family are natives of the !N^orth, 
and ^'hardy as the oak.'^ 

With what avidity the schoolboy strays from the 
direct path going home to regale himself with the ripe 
rich fruit of the black haw. Plant masses of them. 
Plower and fruit are attractive, and the autumn color- 
ing is simply gorgeous. 

Plicatum is from Japan or North China. It is a 
marvelous bloomer, rivaling, if possible, the old Sterilis. 
I have seen these bushes with great massive mounds of 
snowy bloom in the East ; but I have never succeeded 
with them in the West unless they had shelter from the 
sun. How far north they have been tested I cannot 
say. Many things will thrive in northern Minnesota 
which cannot endure the heat of ISTebraska and Kansas. 

The Tomentosum is a beautiful single form of the 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 77 

Plicatum. I was in Boston when a bunch of these 
was brought into Horticultural Hall. It created quite 
a furor. The branch was one mass of bloom of pure 
delicate white. ''What is it?" ''What can it be?" 
were the queries which surrounded it. 'No one knew. 
Just then Jackson Dawson, superintendent of Arnold 
Arboretum, came in. He knows everything. Few 
plants of the temperate zone ever escape him. He told 
them what it was. T. C. Thurlow is a prominent florist 
and keen as a briar. He went home and examined 
his foreign catalogues and found a lot listed over in 
France. He sent and bought the whole lot. He sold 
quite a quantity to some florists who cut a large amount 
of them green to propagate in a green house. I remem- 
ber I was there and helped cut great basket loads for 
the purpose of propagation. This was some years ago. 
They are now very well distributed. 

I have not yet tested them, but will try to do so. 
I am sure, however, that like the Plicatum, they will 
need some shelter from the sun. 

Both these last, like the Sterilis, are produced by 
layering. 

OTHER SHRUBS OF VALUE. 

The Euonymus. This is also called burning bush 
and spindle tree. The American species is the Wahoo. 
There is a town of this name in iNTebraska, so called, I 
believe, on account of the fine clumps of burning 
bush near it. In the eastern part of ]^ebraska you 
often see them growing wild along the streams. There 



78 THE GOLD MINE 

are some beautiful specimens in my garden across the 
road from where I write. The limbs are covered with 
scarlet fruit. I'hey are desirable as shrubs, with their 
flowers in the spring, their rich foliage in summer, and 
their showy berries in the autumn. When the leaves 
fall the whole tree is simply ablaze with its profusion 
of berries, giving a cheerful cast to the somber tints 
and falling leaves. It is propagated from seeds, which 
lie in the ground two years, and also from root offsets. 
The European variety is worthless in the West. T 
have had them kill to the ground. There is a creeping 
type of the Euonymous extremely beautiful in the East, 
with its richly variegated leaves, which, in favorable 
localities, will stay on all winter. But it is of no use 
in the West. T have tried it carefully under screen 
of lath. It is bound to die. 

The Hydrangea. There are several species of tliis, 
some of which make valuable house plants. But the 
only one of any merit for out doors is the Paniculata 
Grandiflora. 

There is probably no plant, shrub or bush that yields 
such a profusion of immense flowers as this in propor- 
tion to the height of the busli. The curious thing about 
it is, it is not called hardy at the Kew gardens in the 
mild climate of England, and it cannot endure the in- 
tense heat and dry winters of our western plains, and 
yet in Minneapolis and St. Paul it will grow to a small 
sized tree, and be glorious with its great burden of 
flowers. No yard is complete without it. It seems 
to do better planted in masses than when set out alone. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 79 

There are many things inanimate which appear to be 
of a social nature, and they love company of their own 
kind. So now these are set out mostly in clumps of 
from six to twelve, and you have a perfect bank of 
flowers. If the ground is good, and they have the best 
of care, the flowers will sometimes be as large as a 
man's head. They are Avhite at first, and, as they get 
age, they put on a slightly reddish tint. They seem 
to know how to continue in bloom a long time, and then 
die gracefully. 

They are usually propagated in the hot-house from 
green cuttings. They can be increased, however, by 
layers. 

You can take quite a branching bush and plant it 
deep so the branches will be under ground, and they 
will all take root, when they can be cut off and planted 
by themselves. They are generally propagated on a 
large scale in France and sent from there in immense 
lots when they are small. I have often used these im- 
ported ones. There will be some loss, and it takes time. 
It is better to get good strong bushes from your nursery- 
man. 

The Samhucus or Elder. If we had to import our 
Elder from Europe, and pay a high price for it, with 
its great, massive blooms in spring time and flat masses 
of dark berries in the fall, almost as large as dinner 
plates, we would think a good deal of it; but as it is, 
it is generally neglected. If, however, you have room 
enough and wish a large wild garden, then you will 
have a place for it. There are twelve varieties of 



80 THE GOLD MINE 

Sambiicus in cultivation. Some, like Pyramidalis, are 
too tender ; also the fern leafed. The weeping form is 
also tender. The cnt leafed seems hardy, and a rank 
grower. Very attractive with" its peculiar leaves. One 
type, with red berries, grows in the Rockies. The 
Golden Elder is hardy and desirable. The variegated 
leafed is very striking. It does fairly well in. 'Ne- 
braska. I do not know how far north it can be moved. 
Plumosa is a cut leafed, weeping variety; and then 
there is the golden cut leafed. 

The whole family are as easily propagated as wil- 
lows, growing readily from cuttings. This is not gen- 
erally known. 

Some use the golden for hedges. It makes a good 
windbreak, but, of course, is not strong enough for a 
fence. This and the cut leafed are rapid growers, and 
would make quite a hedge in a short time. 



CHAPTER X. 

THE SYRINGA, OR PHILADELPHX7S. 

Philadelphus was an Egyptian king in the long ago, 
and in some way his name is fastened on these shrubs. 
Whether he wore the flowers on his hat or in his button- 
hole, or decorated his house with them we cannot tell, 
but it has stuck to them ever since, and will probably to 
the end of time. They are sometimes called Moch 
Orange, because the flowers have the perfume of orange 
blossoms. 

They are an exceedingly vigorous and hardy race, 
and as they are very reasonable in price, no farm or 
house lot should be without them. 

The little old sweet scented syringa is most generally 
known. The flowers are small arid bear no comparison 
with those of more recent introduction. 

There are several distinct families of these shrubs, 
and as they grow readily from seed they have a ten- 
dency to hybridize, and so new varieties are coming to 
the front. They have fine foliage, and often grow to 
the height of twelve or fifteen feet, and when they are 
covered with their snowy bloom they are very attractive. 
Some have an early and some a later time of flowering, 
and so there is quite a succession of bloom. Some of 
these shrubs are natives of Central Europe; some are 



82 ' THE GOLD MINE 

from Japan ; some come from the Himalayan moun- 
tains, from whence we derive so many choice shrubs 
and flowers ; some are found growing in the Virginia 
mountains ; and in the Rockies Ave have the Rubus Deli- 
ciosus, which is closely allied. Its form is like the 
syringa, though it bears berries. In the spring it is 
like a snowbank of beautiful white roses. It is ex- 
tremely hardy ; but its place is by a pond or stream of 
water, or if on high ground it must be well watered. 
It is not a success unless it can have wet feet. We give 
a list of some of the varieties: 

The Co7^onaris or Garland. This is a pure white 
flower of peculiar form — four full blossoms and on the 
top of them another, making a minature crown — hence 
the name. Give it good cultivation and it has glorious 
sweet scented blossoms. 

Flore Pleno is a variety partly double, and very fra- 
grant. 

Na7ius is of a dwarf habit ; a low, compact bush and 
very shy bearer — used mostly a& a border plant. 

Zyheri. I secured some of these last spring and am 
watching them closely. They seem quite vigorous, and 
well adapted to our climate, and the entire family stood 
the terrible heat of summer without flinching. This 
has a large odorless flower, and is very late — making it 
very valuable in lengthening the procession. 

Golden Leafed Syringa. This is a beautiful plant, 
somewhat dwarflsh in habit. It retains its golden color 
all through the season. Last summer the leaves 
scorched a little in the burning sun. It is avoII to keep 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 83 

a treasure like this a little in the shade, when it will 
be all vou can ask. Aside from the 2*olden color it has 
lovely white flowers. These should be planted where 
they can show marked contrast with the green of others, 
or where they can stand by some purple leafed shrubs. 
We must learn to plant for color effect. 

The Gordonlanus is a very prince of the family, a 
vigorous grower, slightly fragrant and blooms late. 

Speciosissimus is of dwarf habit, forming a bush 
about three feet tall, wliich is covered with large white, 
sweet scented flowers. 

Laxus has an upright habit of growth. This also 
has good sized flowers, richly perfumed, and it is a 
very valuable sort. 

Avalanche. This was sent out a few years ago as a 
new variety. A dwarf loaded and smothered with 
flowers. I sent 50 cents for one and got a dwarf sure. 
It was so much of a dwarf it could hardly be discov- 
ered with the naked eye. But I planted the little thing, 
and it has done well, and though it has not flowered yet, 
I have great hopes of it. 

Lemoine's Dwarf was a companion of the Avalanch, 
and much like it in form and in the promise of flowers. 
That was very small, but the best of care has brought 
it out and it is a plant of promise. 

Lemoincs Ereda Syringa is a charming variety of 
upright growth. It has small fragTant flowers of yel- 
lowish white, completely covering the bush. 

Microphyllus has very small leaves, which show well 



84 THE GOLD MINE 

in contrast with the larger ones of other kinds. This 
is a dainty little thing with tiny white blossoms. 

Nivalis has scentless flowers, the stamens of which 
are cream colored, and this gives the entire blossom an 
almost snowy white appearance. 

Penkinensis is, of course^ a Chinaman. It has 
creamy white bloom which is very fragrant. 

Primulaeflorus is remarkable in that the flowers are 
well nigh donble and are delicate white. 

Hoary Leafed Syringa has large downy foliage as 
well as large white blossoms, which are late, thns length- 
ening the season. 

Willow Leafed Syringa is very uniqne in that it has 
borrowed the leaves of the willow for its clothing. The 
leaves are curled at the edges. It is of a dwarf habit. 

Speciosus is of distinct and well marked habit with 
late flowers. 

Yoholiama is from Japan. It is of npright and com- 
pact form, with a sort of plaited foliage, riowers very 
odorous, making a very desirable plant. 

We notice that quite recently there have appeared 
important additions to this family. I have just re- 
ceived a catalogue from a large nursery in Trance and 
have sent in an order for the following to test them in 
I^ebraska : 

Ketelo7^'s Syringa, which is double flowering. Flow^- 
ers by nature are single. Double flowers are the work 
of nature and art. The tendency of improved flowers 
is to grow double and larger. 

Glorious as syringas are, we believe there is a splen- 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 85 

did future for them, and when bees are plenty to mix 
the pollen, and you have the full group by planting 
the seeds, you stand a good show for something new 
and fine. 

We notice next Sutzman's Syringa, then Silver Bell, 
which comes out with great promise; also Candalabre, 
noted as being a very free bloomer. Then there is the 
Mantle of Ermine and Mount Blanc. 

Chundiflorus has a very large pure white flower, 
somewhat fragrant. It is a very vigorous gTower. 

Years ago I was on the grounds of T. C. Thurlow, 
of West Newbury, Mass., and there I saw a new kind 
with immense blossoms. They had been imported from 
France. I got him to send me some cuttings the next 
winter. But two of them lived. They prove to be the 
strongest growers of all. I saw one sprout had made 
ten feet in a single year. The flowers were two inches 
across, and they hung in chains from the branches. I 
never saw anything like it. They were not the Grandi- 
fllorus. They were much larger. I named them 
French Mammoth. They will do in I^ebraska, thougli 
the tops killed back some. I may send some to Pro- 
fessor Green and have him test them. 

In the Arnold Arboretum I saw one, the blossoms of 
which were very large, and, in giving the origin, Mr. 
Dawson told me he had raised it from seed. It bore 
striking resemblance to the French one, only the bush 
was not quite so vigorous. 

Lemoine of France has been a very successful horti- 
culturist along many lines. He is almost as much of a 



85 THE GOLD MINE 

wizard as our own Burbank. He originated Ava- 
lanche Lemoine and Lemoine Erecta, all of dwarf liabit, 
and now I have jnst secured for testing newer kinds. 

Boule df Argent, with flowers quite double^ with deli- 
cate fragrance. 

Candelahre is a dwarf plant, very prolific bloomer, 
with large white flowers. 

' Coulteri is another new kind — short, erect habit, flow- 
ers large, solitary at the ends of the branches, pure 
white, and of great substance. 

Fantaisie is described as an altogether distinct variety 
— a very prolific bloomer, flowers pure white, pale rose 
in the center, and delightfully fragrant. 

Fimhriatus is a very unique variety, ^'branches 
arched, covered with large white flowers deeply toothed.'' 

Gerbe de Neigo has flowers very large, and so many 
of them the branches bend beneath their weight. 

Manteare d'H ermine has flowers double and semi- 
double, creamy white, spread up. and .down the branches. 

Perle Blancli forms a dense shrub with large double 
pure white floAvers. 

So we see the evolution under human skill of the 
single transformed to the double, and in time these will 
grow fuller and larger. 

From this review what a splendid family we have 
to chose from, and Avhat an addition to parks and home 
grounds. 




Spirea Arguta. 



CHAPTEK XI. 

SPIRAEAS. 

Just as I am writing this chapter, Bulletin 47, on 
trees and shrubs tested in northwest Canada, comes to 
me from the director, Dr. Saunders. I am very glad 
to welcome it, for we want the benefit of their patient 
research, and things that will thrive in those cold re- 
gions will do further south. 

Their experience corresponds with that of the York 
Experiment Station in that we cannot raise any of the 
Deutzias. 

We have been at> great expense in testing these, and 
have to throw them out altogether. Tlie result is the 
same with the Beeches. In no case have they passed 
the winter in either station. 

With the Spiraeas it is different. There are about 
fifty varieties of this family. There is a wide range 
both in foliage and bloom. Planted for a succession, 
we have flowers nearly or quite all summer. They are 
very easily propagated. Many grow from cuttings, and 
the rest multiply by off-shoots very rapidly. So there 
is no reason why they should not be had in abundance. 

The first to bloom is the Argiita, said to be a cross 
between Thunbergii and Multiflora. This blooms with 
the tulips. It is in such haste to blossom that it does 



90 THE GOLD MINE 

not wait for the leaves, but opens a perfect snowdrift 
of white. Having quite a hedge row of them the 
passers-by in the spring would stop to admire them 
and ask what they were. They are the heralds which 
head the procession of beauty. The leaves are fine and 
delicate, and remain on the bushes till December, and 
before they fall they change into garments so rich in 
the varied colors of autumn that a row of them seems 
to be the last of the flowers. 

'No collection should be without them. 

The Thunhergii is very delicate in appearance — the 
leaves are small and' the tiny white blooms make it 
'^a little daisy" among the group. 

Prunifolia, or Bridal Wreath blooms next. This is 
sometimes called the button flower, for it is shaped like 
a small white button. It has a double blossom like a 
tiny rose. This is a profuse bloomer, but is not quite 
as hardy as some of the rest. They bloom about the 
first of May, the flowers hanging in clusters along the 
stems before the leaves appear. 

Fan HouUei. This is deservedly a great favorite. 
It seems hardy everywhere, and is such a wholesale 
bloomer it is one mound of beauty. It propagates 
readily, both from off-shoots and cuttings, and can 
be had for hedges. It is much used by the railroad 
gardeners of the East to cover embankments and hide 
rocks, and when in full bloom it is like riding beside 
snowbanks of fragrant beauty. 

Callosa has great masses of pink flowers growing in 
large flat heads, in shape much like the blooms of our 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 91 

native elder. The blossoms appear early in June and 
continue several weeks. 

Callosa Alba has white flowers much the shape of the 
latter, but not quite so large. It blooms later, and 
retains its beauty a long time. This is a very desirable 
plant. 

Superha belongs to this same Callosa family. It is 
dwarfish in growth, with pinkisli white flowers that 
appear in June. 

Bumalda is a vigorous little dwarf from Jaj^an. It 
often kills to the ground, but does not stop for a trifle 
like that, but is u]v mikI at it again, and in June is 
clothed with a profusion of pink flowers in flat clustei's, 
and then it keeps at it all summer. It never grows very 
tall, and is useful for the ])ordor and })lacing in front of 
the taller ones. 

A^TJIOXY WATEllEK. 

There is probably a greater demand for this than 
any other, unless it is the Van Houttei. It is a seed- 
ling of the Bumalda, and is much like it in form and 
habit and sha^x^ of the flowers. While the former are 
pale pink, these are crimson in the bud and continue 
so some time after opening. Then they turn to red or 
deep pink. If the floAvers are removed they will con- 
tinue to bloom nearly all summer. These, like 1he 
parent, often kill down in winter, but throw up new 
shoots and are ready for business in June and on till 
frosts. 



92 THE GOLD MINE 

Rotundifolia has round leaves of dark green color, 
with a graceful habit of growth and cluster of white 
flowers in June. 

Opiilifolia is indeed opulent in its foliage. This is 
the giant among the spiraeas, and seems hardy every- 
where. I saw it growing all right in Manitoba. This 
is called the tree spiraea. It is an easy matter to train 
it into tree form, when it presents a fine appearance. 
At this station Av^e have had them grow six feet the first 
year from cuttings. The flowers are white at first, and 
are in the form of hemispheres. Put two together and 
you have a ball about one and a half inches in diameter. 
Eventually the blossoms turn to gold. They hang on a 
long time, seeding heavily. These seeds grow readily. 

Aiirea is a variety of the Opulifolia. It is not 
qpite so rank a grower. Its golden leaves contrast 
richly with the neighboring green. The flowers are 
of the same color and form as those of the parent. 

Sorhifolia^ or ash leafed, is a unique and charming 
shrub about six feet tall. The foliage is very fine, and 
the bush is surmounted by massive spikes of flowers of 
grayish white. 

Reevesii. This grows to be four feet tall, and has 
beautiful clusters of Avhite flowers the last of May. 

Double Reevesii. While the last-named are single, 
these have double white flowers, which- appear a little 
later. Both varieties are compact in their habit, and 
have slender branches. 

Billardii has spikes of rosy pink flowers and Doug- 
lassi is much of the same form. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 93 

The Duniosa grows in the Rockies. It has massive 
spikes of grayish white flowers. 

A MOUXD OF SPIRAEAS. 

Where you have room you can phant with fine effect 
in the following manner: Put Opulifolia in the cen- 
ter. The next in vigor of gTOwth would be the Aurea. 
Then Van Houttei. jN'ext Bridal Wreath. Then a circle 
of Arguta. 'Next a rim of Thunbergi. Then Bumulda 
or Anthony Waterer. If you have room you can put 
in other sorts. Then you have a beautiful mound with 
a rich variety of foliage and also a succession of flowers 
from early spring till fall. 

Ilerhaceous Spiraeas. These have strong roots, but 
the tops are annual, and kill down like those of the 
paeony. I think you can count on their being hardy 
everywhere. If there is any doubt about it, mulch well 
in winter. 

Lohaici, sometimes called Queen of the Prairies, is a 
stately phmt. It growls in the meadows of Pennsylva- 
nia. The flowers, wliich are of peach color, are very 
fine. It is much improved by cultivation. 

The Astilhe is from Japan. A fine plant, with pure 
white flowers, in large branching panicles. We have 
tested this, and it is all right. 

The Aruncus or Goafs Beard, is a fine species, grow- 
ing wild in the Catskill and Allegheny mountains. 

Palmata is a ^ne variety, and then there is the Ul- 
maria, a double sort. The Humboldtii has greenish 
blossoms. 



94 THE GOLD MINE 

Other Plants. The Hibiscus kills down in winter, 
but comes up in the spring. It has broad leaves and 
large, white flowers, with crimson eyes. This race is 
distinct from the other Hibiscus family, which is called 
the Althea. The kind we are describing has strong 
roots, which push up their sprouts with gi-eat vigor in 
the spring. They bear immense masses of blossoms. 

The Polygonum is somewhat of this habit, making 
a vigorous growth in summer, giving quite a profusion 
of bloom, and killing down in winter. There are two 
varieties on the Minnesota experiment grounds. 

The common name is the Mountain Fleece. One 
species w^as introduced from the Himalaya mountains, 
whence we derive so many of our choice shrubs. 

Incidentally, I would say that neither the Altheas nor 
Wegelias are hardy in the great ^Northwest. 

THE ROSE. 

Personally I do not pay so much attention to this 
flower as to the paeony, which is rapidly taking its 
place, being much hardier, much more easily cultivated, 
and as satisfactory every way. Yet there are thousands 
of people who will prefer the rose to every other flower. 

'No other flower has had such a history. It reaches 
back into the far-off ages, and you find it in writings 
both sacred and profane. 

The Romans made much use of it in their social 
gatherings. Roses were placed over the principal en- 
trance, and he who passed under them silently bound 
himself not to reveal anything that Avas said or done 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 95 

at the feast. Of course, if wine flowed freely, there 
might be scenes and sayings which woukl not look well 
if given publicit}-, and he that passed under the rose 
must not gossij). The '^Sub Elosa" now used means 
^'keep mum." 

There are about 100 native species. You find them 
in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Even in Iceland and 
Greenland, and other parts of the far north, they are 
foimd. In our own land we have many numibers of 
(his great family, — tlie wild ones always of the single 
type. 

Tlie (\'n(lfoIia ( hundred leaces) or Cabbage Rose 
is one of the oldest members of tlie family. It is a 
native of eastern Caucasus, and is supposed to be the 
one mentioned by Pliny, the old Roman historian. A 
very numerous family have been produced between this 
and the Gallicia, or Provence roses. These are all 
beautiful and fragrant, and the flowers have a compact 
and cabbage-like form. 

The Moss Base is supposed to be a sport of the Prov- 
ence rose, for seedlings of this variety will often be 
found of that type. 

The Damascus Rose is an old favorite, having been 
introduced from Syria. It is now^ extensively culti- 
vated in the gardens about the ancient city of Da- 
mascus for the purpose of making rose water and the 
Attar of Koses. 

The Sweet Briar is a native of England. This has 
a delightful fragrance of foliage as well as of the flow- 



% THE GOLD MINE 

ers. It has been crossed witli other varieties so that 
we have now many of a double form. 

The Banksinia Rose was introduced from China in 
the early part of the last century, and was named 
in lionor of Ladv Banks. 

THE JAPAISTESE ROSES. 

We have three of the single type that are marvels of 
beauty. 

ROSA RUGOSA. 

Probably no recent introduction has had a larger run 
than this. There are two varieties, the white and red. 
Though the flowers are single, yet they are very large 
and clear in color, and they are perpetual bloomers. 
If you have a row of them you will always, from spring 
till the frosts of autumn, find flowers on them. 

If the bush had no blooms, it would pay to plant 
it for ornament alone. The leaves are glistening pol- 
ished green, large, deeply wrinkled and corrugated. 
The bush is strong, vigorous and hardy, thriving as 
far north as Manitoba. There is a great demand for 
this flower. Planted singly, in masses, or hedges, it 
is very satisfactory. One peculiarity is its enormous 
bright red seedballs, — like red crab apples, — ^which 
hang on a long time, making a fine display even after 
the leaves have fallen. 

Ruhifolia has reddish leaves. It is a strong grower 
and a prolific bloomer, the foliage contrasting beauti- 
fully with the neighboring green. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 97 

MuUiflora is a marvel in blooming time. The bush 
is literally covered with a flood of light pink flowers. 
I have been watching these three varieties in our ex- 
periment station in York and find them every way sat- 
isfactory. All of them are hardy, vigorous and pro- 
lific bloomers. 

They are easily raised from seed. Get a few plants, 
take the seedballs and rub off the pulp, put them in 
sand and let them freeze, or plant in the fall. Those 
in sand you plant first thing in the spring. They come 
up readily, and you will soon have enough for masses 
or hedges. They are so easily raised no one should 
be without them. 

CLIMBING ROSES. 

These are a numerous family. We have Queen of 
the Prairies, Seven Sisters, Baltimore Belle, Tennessee 
Belle, and many others. But far transcending all 
others, and worth more than all put together, is the 
Crimson Rambler. 

Some winters I have had twenty other kinds of roses 
killed to the ground, and this would be unharmed. I 
presume that in our extreme north it would be well 
to take them down and cover in the fall. As a bloomer 
there is nothing like it, unless it be the multiflora. 

Every stem, and twig seems ambitious to do all it 
can. It is no uncommon thing to find thousands of 
flowers on a single bush. Though they have no fra- 
gTance, they make it up in the wild, rollicking prodi- 
gality of bloom. Other kinds have borrowed the name 



98 THE GOLD MINE 

of this rose to float into popular favor. The White 
Rambler and the Golden Rambler have been sold by 
tho thousand. With us they are utterly worthless, 
killing to the ground in winter, and if with care you 
nurse them over till spring they are very shy bloom- 
ers, and they have been consigned to the brush pile in 
disgust as frauds. 

The summer roses bloom in June and Julv.- The best 
of all is Harrison's yellow, which originated years ago 
in Maryland. It is extremely hardy, an early and pro- 
lific bloomer, and I have never known it to be injured 
by any degree of heat or cold. It would probably be 
hardy anywhere. The moss roses are very popular. 
They are not quite as hardy. 

Then we have Madam Plantier, which is white, and 
a very prolific bloomer. In fact, there is quite a fam- 
ily of these June roses, which are hardier as a general 
thing than the perpetuals. 

THE HYBRID OR PERPETUALS. 

These have been extensively planted in the West, and 
people have been sorely disappointed with them, and 
why ? In the East and in England they have a milder 
climate. When the hot winds are raging, scorching 
everything they touch, roses cannot bloom. I have 
seen at Rochester, N. Y., in AugTist, great fields of 
roses in full bloom, where thfe same kinds planted in 
Nebraska some dry seasons would not show a single 
flower. If, however, the fall is moist there will be a 
good many blooms. I will name a few of the most 




Harrison's Yellow Rose. 



Lofa 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 101 

popular sorts of the perpetuals, as I have seen them 
in the Boston flower shows, and also in the West : 

America7i Beauty is of a large, globular, deep pink 
form. It is especially adapted to the greenhouse, and 
there are probably more of this kind raised under glass 
than any other. 

Baroness Rothschild is light pink, very symmetrical, 
very distinct, with a character of its own, but, unfortu- 
nately, with little or no fragrace. 

Gen I Jacqueminot, abbreviated to Gen'l Jack. This 
is one of the standard sorts, and very popular. It is 
brilliant crimson, large and fine. It also forces well 
in the greenhouse. 

Mahel Morrison. This is white, with a blush tint, 
which makes it exceedingly beautiful. 

Margaret Dickson is of fine form, white, with pale 
flesh center, very fragrant, and fine every way. 

Marshall P. Wilder is another favorite. It is a 
seedling from Gen'l Jack. It is vigorous in growth, 
flowers large and hemispherical in form; color, cherry 
carmine. 

Paul Neyron. This is probably the best of the 
hybrids. It is the largest of all. The flowers are im- 
mense, and of deep rose color. The wood is nearly 
free from thorns, and it is the hardiest of all the per- 
petual family. 

Ulrich Bruner is brilliant cherry red, flowers of flne 
form. It is very vigorous and hardy for its class. 

Vic¥s Caprice is a striking sport. It is large, pink, 
striped with white and carmine. 



102 THE GOLD MINE 

PEEPAEING ROSES FOR WINTER. 

This is an important item in rose culture, for, if left 
to themselves in the bleak Northwest they would soon 
die. There are four systems of winter protection: 

First. Put. a headless barrel around your bushes and 
fill it with leaves. If too tall, cut back. Take your 
climbers down and cover those with leaves or straw, or, 
better yet, with earth; or wrap with straw and burlap. 

Second. Many lay them down, putting on a sod to 
hold them in place, and then cover with leaves, straw, 
sods or earth, to be taken up in the spring. 

Third. Cut all your hybrids down to the ground and 
burn up the brush. Then throw heavy mulching or 
earth over the stubs, and take it off in the spring. 
Gardener Hadkinson had five acres of roses under his 
care at the St. Louis exposition. He pushed them the 
first year, and they made a remarkable growth. His 
idea was to develop a strong root system. In the fall 
he cut them all to the ground without mercy, and 
mulched the stubs. In the spring this was removed and 
those strong roots were ready for business, and you 
might have seen the finest rose display on earth. 

This system removes the slugs and insects which 
might be lurking in the bushes, and every spring you 
get a new and clean start. Roses always form on new 
wood, and not on the old. If you have the bushes 
standing you will note that they must throw out new 
branches before they can bloom. 

Fourth. This system is my own, discovered in tlie 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 103 

following manner: Along in the 80's I was connected 
with Pranklin Academy, in western ^N'ebraska, lying 
under the 100th meridian. This was a difficult place 
in which to raise choice flowers. I had a quantity of 
Madam Plantier, Avhich are white roses. They suf- 
fered much, and killed back with the winter drouth, and 
then by no device could I propagate them. They would 
not root from layers. Again, they would bloom about 
two weeks before commencement, to the disappoint- 
ment of the girls, who wanted white roses and plenty 
of them for that day. So I put all these things to- 
gether and sought a solution of the difficulty, and found 
it. In the fall the bushes had made a splendid growth. 
I must save them from winter killing. I wanted to 
propagate them, and also retard their blooming for two 
weeks. I laid the bushes on the ground like the spokes 
of a wheel, and put posts on them to hold them in 
place. The soil was rich and mellow. I put on six 
inches over the whole and did not allow a single bud 
or twig to show itself. The earth was not taken off in 
the spring. There lay the twigs uninjured by winter. 
I watched that not a branch or bud should be exposed. 
They were compelled to come up through the ground, 
and they did, great masses of them. Of course those 
twigs were perfectly healthy and the bloom was re- 
tarded two wrecks, and the young ladies were delighted 
with having all the large fragrant white roses they 
needed for commencement. That was not all, when 
cold weather came and the leaves fell I dug up the 
plants and found twenty well rooted bushes where I 



104 THE GOLD MINE 

had one before. Instinctively the twigs as they came 
through the earth put out roots. 

This system is the best of all. Only it takes room, 
and you must have just the right kind of soil. But 
try it as you will ^^etemal vigilance" will be the price 
of roses in the IsTorthwest. You cannot depend on fall 
blooming, and so paeonies are far preferable. Usually 
they are longer in bloom if you plant for a succession, 
and they give you no trouble. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE LONICERA, OR HONEYSUCKLE. 

These, which comprise the upright. and climbing vari- 
eties, were named from a noted Grerman botanist, Loni- 
cer. They are a very numerous family, with a wide 
variety of form, foliage and bloom. In the main they 
are extremely hardy and will thrive most anywhere, and 
they are quite a success all over the !N'orth. 

THE BUSH on TREE HONEYSUCKLES. 

There is quite a family of the Tartarian group. 

The golden berried makes a fine symmetrical bush. 
The flowers are fragrant, and when it is covered with 
golden berries it is quite attractive. 

Grandiflora has very large pink floAvers, which ap- 
pear in May. It is vigorous and compact in growth, 
something of the Lombardy poplar shape. It is one of 
our best. 

The red berried belongs to the same group and has 
been planted more than any other. 

The Rupreclitiana is from Manchuria. . This is more 
bush-like than the Tartarians. It is a bountiful bloom- 
er, and is overwhelmed with a profusion of red berries 
in July. 

The Philomelae has rosy pink flowers which appear 



106 THE GOLD MINE 

in pairs in each leaf axil. It blossoms about the last 
of April. 

Orientalis was sent out b}^ Thos. Meehan & Sons, of 
Germantown, Pa. This has pink flowers, and is 
worthy of a place in the collection. 

The Ghinensis is much like the above, being a very 
vigorous and hardy shrub. 

The Marrotcii. This is very popular in the East. 
It is of a broad spreading habit, and is used largely 
on railroad embankments and hillsides to cover rocks, 
and for this purpose is quite effective. It has light- 
colored flowers and a profusion of amber fruit. It is 
very hardy. 

Siherica has pinkish white flowers, which appear in 
pairs. In form it is much like the Tartarian group. 

Alherti has violet, bell-shaped flowers. It is very 
hardy, and of creeping habit, and is a sort of a cross be- 
tween the bush and climbing families. 

Fragrantissima. This is from China. It retains 
its leaves nearly all winter, and might be classed among 
evergreen shrubs. The flowers are very sweet scented, 
and continue in bloom a long time. This is the only 
one I have found that was not quite hardy. In fact, 
I have not yet found an evergreen shrub hardy in cen- 
tral or western !N^ebraska, on account of the winter 
drouth, which seems to burn the foliage. Many plants 
will endure any degree of cold which cannot survive 
the winters of this section. 

StandisJii much resembles the above, but is rather 
more dense. It has ripe red berries in June. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 107 

PLANTING A GROUP. 

For mound effect, where you have room, put the 
Tartarian Grandiflora in the center. Then the red ber- 
ried. Then the golden berried, which is not quite as 
vigorous. Then form circles of those of more bushy 
habit, like Ruprechtiana and Morrowi, and you have 
quite a contrast in form and in the shape of the leaves, 
quite a succession of bloom, and a rich variety in the 
size and coloring of the fruit. 

PROPAGATION. 

I once visited the grounds of W. B. Whittier, a 
nurseryman of progressive stamp, at South Framing- 
ham, Mass. There I saw a very remarkable honey- 
suckle. It was simply glistening with immense masses 
of red berries, and seemed fairlv stas'fferino' under its 
burden. 

"Mr. Whittier, where did you o-et that?" 

"I raised it from seed." 

It was a notable hybrid — a sort of a combination of 
the excellencies of them all focused in that one plant 
by the enterprising bees, which are our most efficient 
aids in generating new varieties. 

So it turns out that the Loniceras have three modes 
of propagation : 

First — From seeds. Wash off the pulp and plant 
the seed, which will probably coriie up the next spring. 

Second — By off-shoot. In a short time heavy stool? 
are formed, like currants or lilacs. Dig them up and 
tear them apart and plant. 



108 THE GOLD MINE 

Third — By cuttings. Late in the fall or very early in 
the spring. Plant as you would cottonwood or willow 
cuttings. If you wait till spring you must be quick 
about it, for they are among the first things to start. 

CLIMBING HOJN^EYSUCKLES. 

The Belgica. This is about as popular as any. It 
blooms from May till December. Always at it, and 
never tired. It has bright red fragrant flowers. It is 
quite hardy. 

The TIalleana is from Japan. It is quite a thrifty 
vine. The leaves of bright green hang on till Decem- 
ber. Flowers are pure white, changing to a yellow 
tinge. They are very fragrant, scenting all the air. 
Where you have them in profusion, as when they cover 
an arbor, in the still twilight of a summer evening they 
seem to load all the air with a delicate fragrance. 

The Chinese Fragi^ant. This is a vigorous grower, 
having a profusion of flowers in spring time, very use- 
ful when- you wish to cover a trellis or shelter a porch. 

Canadensis. This grows wild in many of the forests 
of the interior. It is a very robust, hardy and thrifty 
grower, with white on the under side of the leaves, and 
large yellow flowers. 

Common Woodbine is a strong native, with showy 
flowers, red outside and buff within. 

Japan Golden Leafed is quite showy in foliage. It 
does well in the eastern states, and perhaps would do 
well in the West if it could be sheltered from the hot 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 109 

sun which, with' our dry air, is so fatal to many things 
with delicate foliage. 

Variegated Euonymous is exceedingly beautiful in 
the East. Its foliage is a flower of itself, hut it cannot 
be made to live in the West. This is a creeper, and 
would be very desirable if we could make it live. But 
even under a screen it refuses to grow. 

OTHER CLIMBERS. 

In eastern catalogues you will find glowing descrip- 
tions of Actinidia Arguta, a strong growing Japanese 
vine. Let it alone. It is worthless in the West. I 
tried 100 under screen and in the open. They all 
killed down to the ground till in disgust I hunted out 
and dug up the last worthless root. Let your experi- 
ment stations and nurserymen test these things. You 
cannot afford it. 

The Japanese Ivy is very popular East. In Boston 
it creeps up the sides of and covers buildings of stone 
and brick. It succeeds in some favored locations in the 
West, but we cannot recommend it for general planting 
for the 'Northwest. 

Quinquefolia or five-leafed ivy, often called Vir- 
ginia creeper, grows wild almost everywhere, and is 
very hardy. You can get it in the woods or of your 
nurseryman. If you want something coarse, vigorous 
and hardy to hide some old building, or to climb a dead 
tree, or cover an arbor, you can depend on this. You 
can grow it from cuttings or from layers. 

Dutchman s Pipe is a popular old favorite that does 



110 THE GOLD MINE 

fairly well in most locations. It lias large leaves and 
flowers like an old-fashioned pipe. 

Clematis. These are very popular climbers, and are 
planted in immense quantities. 

Ereda. This is very hardy and satisfactory. It is 
rare, and there are hardly enough for the demand. It 
is herbaceous^ like the paeom^, and blossoms about the 
same time. In fact, the two go well together, and the 
great groups of snowy white flowers do nicely for the 
background for a boquet of these charming blooms, 
It grows about three feet tall, and bears immense 
masses of white flowers. It is increased by root divi- 
sion and from seeds, which are borne in great profusion. 

The Paniculatci. This is a marvelous bloomer, and 
pours out its beauty in a flood of white. I have them 
growing beside the hardy Virginia creeper. The leaves 
of the latter are killed by the first hard frost, and then 
is the time for the Paniculata to get in its work. When 
most of the other flowers are gone these come on in 
the greatest abundance. I have cut large armfuls for* 
church decorations and for weddings. They are very 
effective where you want massive wreaths or wish them 
to adorn large rooms for festive occasions. 

The Jacl^mmini is one of the most beautiful, and at 
the same time one of the most ao^o:ravatin£: thiriirs I have 
ever known. Once in a while they will live and grow 
and cover the side of a building with a profusion of 
rich violet-purple flowers. But as a general thing you 
have to plant about a dozen to get one to live. I have 
had them do well and grow eight or ten feet and be 




Clematis Paniculata. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 113 

covered with bloom, and then they wonld take the sulks 
about something I never could find out and die. Yet, 
where they do succeed, they are all that you can ask for. 

Graveolens. This is a vigorous, hardy vine. It will 
often spring up from seed and grow on its own account. 
It is a late bloomer, and has beautiful golden flowers 
and these are followed by great masses of feathery and 
fluffy clumps to which the seeds are attached. These 
last are about as interesting as the flowers themselves. 

The Duchess of Edinburgh has great masses of double 
white flov/ers. 

Madame Edward Andre has large flowers of beauti- 
ful bright velvety red. It is said to be a prolific and 
continuous bloomer. 

Trumpet Flower Eadicans. This is a vigorous 
climbing plant, generally hardy. It will kill back 
sometimes, however, but the root is of such vigor it 
will push up again. It bears trumpet-shaped red flow- 
ers in August. 

Wistarias. The American purple is a very hardy 
vine; in fact the hardiest of all. It is not quite as free 
flowering as some of the foreign sorts. There is a white 
variety of this vine. 

The whole family was named from Wistar, once a 
professor in the Pennsylvania University. 

The Sinensis is from China. It was introduced in 
1818. It has long pendulous clusters of pale blue flow- 
ers. There is a white variety of this same species. 

There are Japanese wistarias, also very beautiful, 
but not having tested them I cannot vouch for their 
hardiness. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

PERENNIAL FLOWERS. 

In spring the great J^orthwest lies at the husy end 
of the world. The plowing and sowing must be done. 
The success of the crop often depends on the seeding, 
which must be done early. The winters are long and 
when warm weather comes every moment seems crowd- 
ed, and so if one is to have a fine yard it is a great help 
to have an abundance of choice perennials. These stay 
planted. You do not have to put them out every 
spring. 

Farmers are waking up to the importance of flowers 
for home use. ]^ot long ago a man asked a nursery 
a2:ent what he had that would do for cut flowers. ^^The 
young folks must have them for their parties and so- 
cial gatherings and they must be ordered from the 
city, and the team must be stopped to go to the depot 
after them, and they cost a good deal," and he did not 
see why they could not raise their own and have them 
fresh, and when he showed his bills, the agent said that 
for what he paid out in one year he could have a pro- 
cession of beauty all his own and an abundance for 
all occasions from early spring till frosts came. Let 
me name this procession. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 115 

FIKST^ TULIPS. 

You plant these in October about four inches deep 
in well prepared soil. When the ground freezes 
put on some well rotted manure. Plant a lot of them ; 
get the double rose and double white, and some mixed. 
You ought to have $5 worth which would get two or 
three hundred. They fight their way up through slush 
and frosts and are the 2^1orious harbingers of spring. 
You can take them up after they bloom or let them 
stay. Mr. Terry of Iowa 30 years ago planted tulips 
on a hill and had not touched them and they were 
blooming last year. It is perhaps as well to take them 
up and replant once in a while. 

l^ext come the columbines, which begin before the 
tulips are through. 

The pansy is the last to bloom in the fall, and be- 
gins with the tulips or before. They are easily grown. 
In a mild winter I have seen them bloom in the open 
ground in Massachusetts in January. 

Before the columbines are through you have the orien- 
tal poppies and paeonies. Then the gaillardias begin, 
and keep at it all summer. In the meantime the irises 
begin their work along with tlie lilies. Then come the 
glorious phloxes and their time of blooming can be 
regulated from June till October or l^ovember even. 

Running parallel with your perennials your hardy 
flowering shrubs are in continuous bloom. 

The Delphiniums and the foxgloves come on with 
their magnificent display. 



116 THE GOLD MINE 

There are over 100 kinds of perennial asters and 
only a few of them have been cultivated. Thej get in 
their work after the frosts. 

Many annuals come to their blooming in the middle 
of the summer when it is hot and dry, and they are 
not well enough rooted to stand the severity of the 
climate. Again most of the seeds of the annuals are 
very small and it is difficult to make them germinate. 
Among these, however, we must place the modern 
white asters which closely resemble large chrysanthe- 
mums. As they cornel on in August and September 
they are very important factors in keeping up the pro- 
cession. 

YUCCAS. 

There are many varieties of these plants, some of 
them not hardy in the ISTorth. I saw some growing in 
Alabama that were natives there. They were six inches 
through and eight to ten feet tall. They are said to 
be very beautiful in bloom. 

The two kinds in ordinary cultivation are the Rocky 
Mountain or Spanish bayonet and the Filamentosa. 

The former is by far the hardier. It grows not only 
in the mountains but comes down in the plains as far 
west as the 100th meridian. It seems to delight in 
dry situations, but nevertheless grows well in rich soil 
and responds to good cultivation. It has a long stiff 
leaf which is pointed by the sharpest kind of a needle. 
As it grows, the root lifts itself out of the ground like 
a large beet. This is the soap weed of the Mexicans, 
who often use it at the present day. The roots also. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 117 

pounded up, are used for a hair wash, which is said to 
be excellent to keep it healthy and from falling out. 
It has a stiff spike from which pure white flowers hang 
like lights about a chandelier. This species I think 
would be hardy anywhere. They do not seem to mind 
any degree of heat or cold. They would seed plentiful- 
ly and do, when they have a chance, but the cattle 
which roam over the mountains and plains, though 
they cannot eat the tough and leathery leaves, are sure 
to take the flowering stem as soon as it appears. 

In my trips to the mountains I often gather seeds 
which readily come up and the plants make rapid and 
vigorous growth. The leaves are compact masses of 
tough fiber quite useful for ropes and cords. 

The Filamentosa is so named from its filaments or 
threads. These leaves are very tough and are used for 
cordage or tying, much as rafia is now used, only it is 
not as long or as pliable. 

There are three forms of this — the common and 
Filamentosa Recurva. The leaves, instead of growing 
erect, curve downward. There is not much difference 
between the two, though nurserymen often make quite 
a distinction in favor of the curved leafed ones. 

Bicolor is probably a sport of the Filamentosa 
Erecta. It was sent out and recommended as hardy, 
but it is tender and utterly worthless outside of the 
greenhouse. 

THE FILAMENTOSA. 

The Filamentosa has an immense flower stalk with 
branches, and in good rich ground it will grow to be 



118 THE GOLD MINE 

six or seven feet tall, and when it is covered v^itli a 
great mass of white blossoms like lilies, it is one of 
the most imposing flowers we have. Both have ever- 
green leaves which have a fresh color all winter. 

THE IRIS OR FLEUR DE LIS. 

This is ^^the rainbow deified." These are also called 
flags. There is a remarkable family here, varying from 
the little blue dwarf beside the w^alk, that blooms with 
the tulips, to the majestic and imposing Ksempferi 
from Japan. These last have flowers of immense size 
and imposing beauty. Unfortunately I have never 
succeeded in raising them in Nebraska. I am now 
testing some under screen. They are growing finely 
and I have some hopes of them. 

THE GERMAN IRIS. 

These are hardy everywhere. I saw them flourish- 
ing in Manitoba. I think there are over 50 kinds of 
this family alone. These should be planted in full 
clumps. They multiply rapidly from the root and 
should be taken up every few years or they will begin 
to crowd each other. 

THE SPANISH IRIS. 

The Spanish Iris is quite hardy and beautiful. But 
1 think one of the finest we have of recent introduction 
is the Siberian. I note that it is hardy everywhere. 
The leaves are narrow and long, the flower stalk is tall 
and slender and is surmounted by flowers of the most 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 119 

irjtense blue. I am highly pleased with it, and saw it 
growing at Brandon, Manitoba, so you can depend on 
it anywhere. There is another branch of the family 
with snowy white flowers which are exceedingly beauti- 
ful. These I am sure will give satisfaction. 

The Digitalis or Foxglove should not be omitted. 
They have long flower stems, blossoms are purple and 
white. The grandiflora has yellow blossoms. 

The Dicentra or Bleeding Heart is a very hardy 
plant with a profusion of heart shaped flowers in the 
spring. They are beautiful in the morning w^hen, in 
full bloom, the sun shines on them. 

The Exima is everblooming, while the first men- 
tioned bloom early and then the foliage becomes dingy ; 
the latter keeps fresh, growing and blooming all sum- 
mer. It is very hardy and as it multiplies from the 
root rapidly one root would soon give an abundance. 
You take up both kinds either in the spring or fall and 
divide and replant as you would paeonies. 

THE KUDBECKIA OR GOLDEN GLOW. 

This is a native of North Carolina, but is hardy every- 
where. Care must be taken to keep it in bounds or it 
bscomcs a weed. The clumps should not be allowed 
to become too large for then the flowers will be small. 
The tall stems need some support. These should be 
set in the background of the border. They are too large 
for the front. 

The Campanula or Bluebells should not be forgot- 
ten. 



120 THE GOLD MINE 

The hardy pompon chrysanthemums should not be 
left out. There are now about 100 kinds of these. 
They are very effective when you most need them. 
They are in their full glory about the time of the first 
frosts and continue to bloom like hardy asters some 
time after, or until the killing frosts come. 

COREOPSIS LANCEOLATA. 

This is very hardy and takes good care of itself with 
but little attention after it is once established. It has 
beautiful double white flowers, small but fine. 

COREOPSIS GRANDIFLOEA. 

has golden yellow flowers on long stems. 

THE SUNFLOWER. 

This is an annual, but it has been so improved that 
we would hardly know it. The latest is an immense 
head and instead of a rim of yellow around the outer 
edges the face is one grand full glorious flower. This 
can be used in the background along with castor beans. 




The Coebelia, or Rocky Mountain Columbine^ the State Flower 

OF Colorado. 



CHAPTER XV. 

COLUMBINES. 

It is strange that such attractive and hardy flowers, 
so radiantly beautiful, should receive so little atten- 
tion. They are easily grown, require but little ef- 
fort, and repay all care and labor needed a hundred 
fold. Light itself has been dissolved, and all its pris- 
matic rays have been woven into their bloom. I think 
one trouble has been they have not been planted on a 
scale large enough and in generous masses, so that 
their charms could be seen to advantage. People per- 
sist in getting a lonely flower and giving it the task of 
enlivening dreary surroundings, and the poor thing 
cannot show to advantage. Then no single one, beau- 
tiful as it may be, can represent them all. 

Before my window as I write there is a large bed 
of them. Does one realize what a great family they 
are, over fifty native species ? I have at least as many 
sorts. "No flowers hybridize more readily. You se- 
cure a large variety, and then sow seeds from these, 
and you have a marvelous permutation of beauty. 
'No two flow^ers of this second cropi will be entirely 
alike. The bumble bees especially delight in their 
nectar. They seem almost intoxicated as they revel in 
it. Of course they carry the pollen from one flower to 



124 THE GOLD MINE 

another, and the result is something new. There is an 
intense fascination in watching the various changes 
wrought, and to see the bewitching loveliness of some 
of the new arrivals. If one could sort out some of 
these and name and describe them, he could give some 
rare treasures to the floral world. By this process yon 
would have the pleasure of forming new acquaintances 
whom no one else has yet met. 

Let us take a look at some of these before us. That 
tall one, so striking in appearance, is the Chrysantha, 
the golden. The color is yellow, and not only that, 
there is a good deal of it. It is intense, as though the 
flower had secured all it could and had packed and 
pressed it together in the most lovely form imaginable. 
What long and delicate spurs it has! We saw it grow- 
ing wild in the Yellowstone National Park. There 
it was small and comparatively insignificant; but 
transported to our rich prairie soil, with good cultiva- 
tion, it gives grateful response to our kindly attention. 
A flower does not blush as well unseen, while it ^Vastes 
its fragrance on the desert air," as when there are 
admirers to appreciate its beauty. Many a flower, 
comparatively unattractive in its wild state, will bloom 
in a prodigality of loveliness under the influence of 
cultivation, and where it can be seen and enjoyed. The 
Picea Punges, the king of beauty among the conifers, 
nowhere in all the mountains does as well as when trans- 
planted in the rich soil of the prairie, or the eastern 
states, and receives the attention it deserves. Then the 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 125 

needles are longer and the sheen is far brighter and 
more radiant than in its own habitat. 

Here is another of attractive appearance, with long 
and delicate spurs. The petals are snowy white and 
intense blue. It seems a photograph of the sapphire 
of the sky and the fleecy clouds. This is the Coerelia 
of the Rockies, and the state flower of Colorado. We 
often see these in masses at an altitude of eight or nine 
thousand feet. In many places they grow to great size, 
as some localities seem better adapted to their develop- 
ment than others. When taken down to the plains they 
need some shelter from the burning sun and hot winds. 
This variety readily hybridizes with others, and its 
motherhood is seen in many types in recent years. So 
readily does it cross that though the original plants 
will be all right, yet the progeny varies so readily and 
to such an extent that pure seed must be secured from 
the mountains if you would be sure. I keep a remote 
nook in the further corner of tlie nursery, as far re- 
moved as possible from the others, for their exclusive 
use; and even here there is some danger that the bees 
may find them, and I cannot be absolutely sure of all 
those grown from them, so I make it a practice to secure 
fresh seed every year or two. 

There is one of deepest, darkest blue, so much so it 
is almost black. It is a large, solid flower. It has no 
spurs whatever. It is quilled like the Dahlia. An- 
other is salmon pink lined with white, a gorgeous flower, 
and the blooms hang like lamps in a chandelier around 
the parent stem. Here is one that is a large, compact, 



126 THE GOLD MINE 

snowj white. It is a full and prodigal bloomer^ and 
near it is a single white, well spurred. In close prox- 
imity is one of deep blue, a single flower, with long, 
slender spurs, much like the Coerelia, to which it prob- 
ably owes its parentage. In the crossing it doubtless 
got enough of the blue from one of those of deep azure 
to eliminate the white. 

Yonder is a double maroon on a strong stem, and its 
color blends well with the garments of its neighbors. 
Here is. a large, double pink of curious form, shaped 
like a tiny barrel. One is lilac color and semi-double. 
In short in color there are samples of almost all the 
shades known to us. There is a tall, independent 
one, a sort of a blend of blue and maroon, lilac and rose 
color, showing that the pollen of several different ones 
had entered into combination to form one so fresh and 
rare. 

Time would fail to describe them all. The Golden 
is less liable than others to enter into crosses. One 
reason is that it is so much later, and yet there are 
several that show its influence, and many of the golden 
ones have been somewhat swerved from their distinct 
form. These flowers commence blooming with the Tu- 
lips, and continue to flower for two months, while the 
Chrysantha will break out now and then all summer. 
Imagine if you can a blend of these charming colors 
in a mass of several hundred, some early, others late, 
some single and many double, many of them tall and 
others dwarfs. In color from purest white to deepest 
purple. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 127 

There is a Columbine Society at Boston, hard at work 
to have these adopted as the national flower. They are 
Aqnilegia, related to our bird of freedom. They are 
Columbines, which sounds something like our own 
Columbia. Then we have quite a number of native 
varieties. So the society is making a strong plea. 
Many designs in decorations are taken from these 
flowers. And as one of the states has adopted one 
of the family as its own flower, this may be the begin- 
ning, and perhaps ultimately the Union may follow one 
of our richest states. 

HOW TO GROW THEM. 

Get a quantity of mixed seed and sow early in the 
spring. The seeds are small, and of course must be 
planted shallow. But here is the trouble, especially in 
the west — the ground dries before the seed can germi- 
nate. Contrive some way to keep the surface wet all 
the while, day and night, till they come up. But you 
Avould better trust to experts, who make it their business, 
and buy the plants, which can be had at very reason- 
able rates, three to ten dollars a hundred, and thus save 
a good deal of care and vexation and a year's growth, 
as they will bloom some the first season. Put in rows 
eighteen to twenty-four inches apart, and twelve to 
eighteen inches in the row, and they will soon stool out 
and cover the ground. It is best to mulch well with 
coarse manure after the ground freezes, and in the 
spring rake it between the rows. I do not always take 
this trouble, for they are very hardy. If the season 



128 THE GOLD MINE 

is wet, some of the seeds, as thej fall, may grow, and 
thus extend the area. The seeds have great vitality. 
Some sow them in the fall. Columbines are used a 
good deal for cut flowers, though they are not as good 
keepers as Paeonies. They are in season on the nation's 
great flower day, when we decorate the graves of our 
dead. Some late springs they are about the only out- 
door flower we can. use, as was the case in 1904, when 
they were in the full glory of their bloom in great 
masses. 

So plant Columbines. There should be a flower 
procession from the opening of the Tulips to the hard 
frosts of autumn, and these should have a prominent 
place. The more you have of them the more you will 
admire them, and when you get well acquainted with 
them you could not get along without them. 

DELPHINIUMS. 

In our search for hardy perennials we have found 
this among the most showy and beautiful. If you 
travel in the Rockies you will meet these flowers in all 
their glory. In the rich valleys you often see them 
six or seven feet high, and the tall, strong stem lined 
with a covering of flowers of deepest blue. 

This flower, sometimes called the Larkspur, has been 
much improved. In the Boston flower shows I have 
seen gorgeous specimens of grand, radiant flowers which 
seemed at great remove from our native plants. These 
tall ones are clothed with the splendor of sapphire, and 
30 intense is the color it would seem as though all the 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 129 

shadings and tinting which could be extracted were 
there in a marvelous blending. I have some very rich 
specimens, which draw the attention of visitors. They 
are about six feet tall. Some are like great posts fres- 
coed Avith bloom ; others are branching, and all are 
grand. They follow hard after the Paeonies, and 
bridge the chasm between them and the Phloxes. 

Over in England they have made great improvements 
in these flowers. By careful selection and hybridizing 
they have secured a race far superior to our native 
sorts: but though these choice strains may do well in 
the milder climate of that country, they do not winter 
well with us. But we have such a rich variety there 
is no reason why we also cannot improve, and thus 
secure hardiness with beauty. 

I give the following as an English tribute to this 
flower : 

Delphiniums — As permanent subjects in the hardy 
flower garden we have few plants more worthy of special 
attention than the Delphiniums. Eor producing a 
striking display over a long season they are probably 
unique. Eor general effect in groups or beds they are 
extremely valuable as a whole, but one is easily carried 
away on closer inspection by the exquisite beauty of 
their flowers, particularly those with clear, sky-blue 
shades. Indeed, they have many points of excellence, 
any one of which alone should entitle them to popu- 
larity. But to appreciate their beauty one must see 
them growing, for it is almost impossible to convey any- 
thing like an adequate idea of their worth by mere 



130 THE GOLD MINE 

description, and it is equally impossible to place their 
towering and densely-flowered spikes before the public 
at the summer exhibitions in a manner worthy of them. 
Those who have not the opportunity of seeing these 
plants in flower, or a collection of them well established, 
may form some idea of a group with the flower spikes 
five to eight feet high, and densely clothed for about 
half their length with exquisitely beautiful blooms. Of 
course the plants do not reach such perfection in the 
first year, but in the second year they certainly con- 
stitute the grandest possible display. While making 
the garden gay for a long season, they are in the great- 
est perfection in June and July, but a judicious selec- 
tion of them may somewhat extend that period. Where 
seed is not required the plants should be cut down as 
soon as flowering is over, and in the late summer months 
many of them will yield another set of spikes, not so 
fine, of course, as the first ones. The shades of blue, 
both light and dark, are very numerous ; others, again, 
have flowers of the deepest indigo and violet, while less 
numerous are those with bronzy and metallic hues com- 
bined with other shades. — Gardening Illustrated. 

I here give place for an excellent article from 
E. Hemming, in Florists' Exchange of July 9, 1904: 

Among hardy perennials the Delphinium, or Peren- 
nial Larkspur, has held front place for the past two 
weeks. Closely following the late varieties of Paeonies, 
they stand out as the most showy border plants bloom- 
ing at the present time. A good, large collection of 
these plants is a sight to be remembered, especially 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 131 

when well grown and cared for. The exquisite shades 
of blue have to be seen to be appreciated. While the 
named kinds grown so extensively in England soon die 
out and require great care to perpetuate them in this 
country, they are so easily grown from seed, and so 
invariably give good results if a good strain of seed is 
procured, that they should be better known among flor- 
ists. A visit among the gardens along the Hudson 
revealed the fact that they gi'ow exceptionally well in 
that locality, and spikes towering up to eight and nine 
feet high were not at all uncommon. 

Delphinium Elatum, or Exalatum, is a native of 
N^orth America. This is supposed to be the origin of 
the tall garden varieties, often called English Delphin- 
iums, that have been so much improved by Kelway and 
other nurserymen. 

Delphinium Formosum is of more branching habit, 
seldom exceeding the height of three feet, but a prime 
favorite, owing to its beautiful color, which is a combi- 
nation of indigo, violet and sky blue. 

D. Grandiflorum, or Chinensis, as it is often called, 
is a very fine cut-leafed kind, having several varieties. 

All the above are good, and well worth growing, be- 
ing useful for cutting and attractive in every way, and 
the same treatment will suit them all. 

Of course it is necessary to propagate named kinds 
by division or cuttings. This should be done in the 
very early spring. Growing them from seed, however, 
is the most satisfactory way. D. Formosum and D. 
Grandiflorum come fairly true from seed, producing 



13 THE GOLD MINE 

very few poor forms if the seed is procured from a reli- 
able source. The seed should be fresh, as it seems to 
lose its germinating power very rapidly. Sown in early 
spring, it will produce plants that will flower the first 
year. Of course the flower spikes are not very large, 
but sufficiently so to select the best to plant out in the 
position they are wanted to fill. When in a young state 
care should be taken to keep a sharp lookout for snails, 
as these pests seem passionately fond of the plants, and 
will make sad havoc of them in a short time. 

Quite a percentage of Kelway's hybrids will come 
double from seed, but it is an open question if the 
double forms are superior to the single ones. 

As regards the after treatment, or when they are 
planted in the open ground, deep, generous cultivation 
and good, rich soil is what they like; and, when plant- 
ing, see that the crowns are well below the surface of 
the soil; one and a half to two inches is not too much. 
As soon as the plants have done flowering, unless they 
are wanted for seed, the flower stems should be cut 
down. This will induce a second crop of flowers. 
While perhaps not equal to the first crop, they will be 
found to be well worth looking after. 

The seeds of this plant are quite small, and it is very 
diflicult to germinate them, as the ground dries up 
while they are sprouting. It is perhaps as well to get 
the plants in the spring and give them the best of care. 
They will bloom in good season. 

Intense blue among flowers is a striking color, and 
is needed to cover the range of beauty. Many of our 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 133 

choicest families, like the Paeonv and Rose, avoid that 
color altogether. But when joii see the Delphinium 
in all its glorj, with those rich tints, and all the delicate 
penciling and tracing done with nature's most skillful 
touch, you will feel that you have the link you need in 
the chain of beauty. 

I was delighted in a trip to the extreme north to find 
these glorious flowers in their perfection. They were 
in evidence in the parks of Winnipeg, and in many 
private grounds. It was encouraging to see them like 
posts, six feet high, covered in their robes of blue. 
Their extreme hardiness is a matter of great encour- 
agement. In the border, set them back near the shrub- 
bery, for they are too rank to place them near the walk. 

When you can have such imposing flowers as these, 
you need not wait long to surround your home with as 
much beauty as can be found anywhere. 

THE LILY. 

There are about fifty species of this glorious flower, 
ranging in size from the attractive little Tenuifolium 
to the immene Giganteum, which must have five years 
to complete bulb, which throws up a stem six inches 
through and ten feet high. 

There is also a wide range in the time of flowering, 
which covers a good portion of the summer. It is not 
practical to secure the whole of this family, but enough 
of the leading kinds can bo planted to have a cheering 
variety. 



134 THE GOLD MINE 

One trouble has been in understanding them — their 
nature and needs. Siberian lilies are covered deep with 
snow in winter^ so are those of the Rockies, and the 
natives of Minnesota and the North. There are fine 
ones growing in the woods of Canada. All these are 
carefully covered up with the snow mantle in winter, 
and this is the best covering ever devised. ISTow, 
take these same plants from their own habitat and 
plant them on the open, bleak prairies of the West and 
many of them will perish. The bare ground freezes 
deep. They are often planted shallow, and so they die 
for want of protection. Many are so hardy they will 
endure anything. 

This is true of the ITeimqrocallis family and some 
others. 

Generally, the soil is not prepared thoroughly enough, 
and they are not planted deep enough. Some dig a 
trench, put manure in the bottom, then some fine earth, 
then plant a foot deep, and cover with sand or light 
earth, so the plant can readily push its way up. 

C. L. Allen, in a recent work, gives the following 
directions: ' ^^To prepare a proper home for the Lily 
the soil should be thrown out to the depth of two feet. 
Then, in the bottom of the trench, put six inches of cow 
manure ; then put on twelve inches of well rotted sod ; 
on this put two inches of clean sand; then plant the 
bulbs and cover with fine earth. But for the western 
prairies this is not deep enough." From mj own expe- 
rience, I think a depth of eight to twelve inches is 
preferable. Only be careful of the kind of earth with 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 135 

which YOU cover them. If you put on stiff clay it will 
be hard for them to bore their way through. Light 
earth, mixed with old and thoroughly pulverized 
manure, should be used. In no case allow the bulbs 
to touch fresh manure. Then, when winter comes, put 
on about six inches of coarse manure. In this way you 
will obtain protection for your bulbs, and, though the 
ground may freeze, they will not be near enough to "all 
out of doors" to hurt them. The bulb, like that of the 
Paeony, carries the life and sustenance of the plant. 

Cared for in the way described, the lilies Avill retain 
their vigor, and all up and down the stem new bulbs 
will form. '^N^ever plant them on wet ground. Though 
they need Avater in a dry time, they cannot endure wet 
feet. 

I tliink tliere is no soil better for their propagation 
than our rich, light, prairie loam. Here they bloom 
gloriously, and propagate freely. 

THE TIME TO PLANT. 

The Candidum, or Annunciation Lily, with its bloom 
of purest white, should be planted in its dormant con- 
dition, which is the last of August and the first of Sep- 
tember. After a brief period of rest it begins to grow, 
and produces quite a tuft of foliage before winter sets 
in. We cannot speak too highly of this exquisitely 
beautiful flower. It is often used for forcing, to pro- 
duce flowers for Easter. Its purity of whiteness and 
delightful fragrance make it a favorite. It does not 
seem to be a hard plant to raise. I have planted them, 



136 THE GOLD MINE 

when badly grown, as late as October, and they did well, 
in spite of the shock of moving at the wrong time. 

The Lily should not remain out of ground long before 
planting, and must never be allowed to dry. There is 
a great advantage in securing home-grown instead of 
imported ones, for, unless properly packed, they must 
suffer for being so long out of ground. 

Some kinds do best with partial shade, while others 
flourish in the open. I have a grand one from the 
North Carolina mountains, sent out by Fred Kelsey. 
It does not do well in the open ; it does not groAV so tall 
or flower so freely as those under partial screen and 
good surrounding shelter. These grow to be seven feet 
high, with glorious clusters of freckled yellow flowers. 
They have a rich, soft coloring, and give them forest or 
native conditions, with plenty of water in a dry time, 
and they will be all you can ask for. 

The beautiful Golden Funkai, or Day Lily, is an 
early one. It has a clear, yellow color. There is an- 
other, much taller and later, which is very satisfactory. 

One of the hardiest, most showy, as well as attractive, 
is the Elegans. It blooms along with the Paeonies, and 
goes into the wholesale business, covering the whole 
plant with a mantle of bloom. These propagate read- 
ily ; the stem under ground has a string of bulblets on it. 
Dig up the whole ; plant the larger ones for next year's 
flowering, and the small ones for another year's growth. 

Then come the double and single Tiger Lilies. 
These are very robust, hardy and prolific of bloom. 
Up and down the stem tiny bulbs are attached, about 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 137 

the size of blackberries. Do you wish to multiply them 
as rapidly as possible ? Then cut off these stems as 
carefully as possible, so as not to shatter off the tiny 
bulblets, and plant them in good, light soil, covering 
about two or three inches deep. The embryo bulbs 
seem to feed on the stem, and in the spring they come 
up good and strong. It takes a couple of years or so 
for them to be large enough to flower. 

The Pardanthus Chinensis or Leopard FloXver rather 
belongs to the Iris family, yet it is called the Black- 
berry Lily. It is rather late, blossoming in mid-sum- 
mer. It has a very pretty little flower, and when that 
is gone a blackberry takes its place, continuing the 
attraction of the plant. These berries hang on a long 
time. If you wish for more of these flowers, plant the 
blackberries in the spring, and they will grow readily. 

The Plantain Lily grows to have very large stools 
of beautiful foliage. They have snowy white blossoms, 
very much like the Candidum. They bloom in August. 

The Hcmerocallis are strong plants. These do not 
have bulbous roots, but are propagated by root sepa- 
ration, and also by seeds. 

The Tenuifolia is the sweetest and daintiest of all. 
Charming blooms hang like chandeliers around the 
stem. These roots are edible, and the traveler in the 
woods of Siberia finds a plant with a charming flower 
at one end and a potato at the other. 

Many kinds do not multiply rapidly, though the root 
makes it up by producing seed, which can be planted 



138 THE GOLD MINE 

in the spring, care being taken not to allow them to 
clrj during germination. 

J. Wilkinson Elliot, of Pittsburg, Pa., gives this 
description of a garden of lilies : 

^^A correspondent complains that we have told him 
too often of the lawyer's garden ; but it is still the 
best garden in this vicinity, and a good garden cannot 
be told about too often. 

^^Our friend, the lawyer, has a garden of Lillies. Many 
other things he has in his garden — great banks of Mol- 
lis and Ghent Azaleas that are worth a long journey 
To see : an entire hillside is covered with hvbrid Rhode- 
dendrons and Kalmia Latifolia; Tulips, Daffodils and 
Crocuses are everywhere in the spring, and. the glori- 
ous show of Japanese Irises in June is a sight not easily 
to be forgotten — but he has Lilies by the hundred and 
by the thousand, and in so many varieties that from 
June until November there is always a fine display of 
Lily flowers. Such a garden ! By daylight it is splen- 
did, by moonlight it is fairyland, and the air is filled 
with fragrance. Such a garden to visit, as we do visit 
it, and travel forty miles a dozen times a year, and 
come away with our arms filled with great stalks of 
Lily bloom; for this is a garden in which there are 
always flowers to cut and to spare. It is not the mis- 
erable garden of bedding plants in which its owner finds 
it difficult to cut a. little nosegay to give to a friend. 
We wish you who are content to grow such common- 
place things of so little beauty as Cannas, Geraniums, 
Coleus and Alternantheras, could visit this garden of 




Gaillardia Grandiflora. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 141 

Lilies, and then say Avliat excuse you have to offer for 
your poor taste. 'Not that of cost, for Lily bulbs are 
to be had for as little money as bedding plants, and as 
Lilies are hardy, their first cost is their only cost, while 
bedding plants must be bought every season.'' 

We are to remember this was written of the east, and 
that Azaleas and Kalmias will not grow in the West. 

THE GAILLARDIA. 

This perennial is beginning to receive much atten- 
tion, and with reason. There is no plant so susceptible 
of improvement. In England the Kelways have made 
marvelous success as regards size and color. They have 
produced some five inches across. A bed of them pre- 
sents a very lively and brilliant appearance. They are 
})rodigal bloomers. I doubt if there is any flower 
which can give such an abundance of continuous bloom 
as these. Commencing in June, they are clothed in 
beauty until the hard frosts of Autumn. They endure 
dry weather well, and seem hardy every way. As cut 
flowers they are brilliant and showy and among the 
longest keepers. 

They need heavy mulching with coarse manure when 
the ground freezes. It would be as well to leave the 
tops on and throw the mulching on them, thus giving 
ventilation as well as protection. The seeds grow read- 
ily. A portion can be started in the house and then 
set out after danger of frost is over. Of course it is 
better to get the plants, but the roots are small, com- 
pared to the upper growth, and seem insignificant. 



142 THE GOLD MINE 

Seed sown in the open germinates readily, and tlie 
plants become very vigorous and commence to bloom 
as soon as large enough. These flowers you can de- 
pend on. Others, like Roses, Paeonies and Lilies, have 
their season and pass on. But the Gaillardias take all 
the season, and when others fail, you can count on 
them. Though new to most people, I find they take 
well when ordinary floral displays are needed. 

The Grandiflora is a fine, large flower. In color it 
is a madder, maroon and gold, often with other tints. 
Some will have very open faces and others will have 
petals compressed at the base and expanded in the 
Outer rim. It is easy to see how, with such a variety 
of form and color, selections can be m.ade, and they can 
be increased in size. The English have pushed things 
so far that the most highly developed ones are not 
hardy. I think perhaps if these gorgeous ones were 
crossed with our own natives, we might have some of 
hardier strains. Should you ever get imported ones, 
I would advise you to take up the roots in the fall 
and store in boxes of earth till spring. I had quite 
a quantity, and even heavy mulching did not save 
them. 

I had for some time supposed that all Gaillardias 
were perennials, but I find they are not. 

Lorenziana is a double with a full cushion richly 
variegated. 

Amblydon is blood red. Sow these early in the 
spring and they blossom in June and keep at it all 
summer. , 




Gaillardia Lorenziana. 




Oriental Perennial Poppy. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 145 

A native Gaillardia grows in Western N'ebraska 
which floMers freely. This also seems to be an an- 
nualj blooming freely in the summer. Grandiflora is 
perennial. 

THE OKIENTAL POPPY. 

Years ago, visiting one of the eastern parks, I saw 
a marveloiis flower. It was a very blaze of splendor — 
dazzling in its effulgence. The blossoms were of im- 
mense size, and of flame color so brilliant as to amaze 
you. They were often seven inches across, and within 
a seed pod of exquisite symmetry, and set around it 
were feathery and delicate stamens. The inner sides 
of the petals were adorned with the most remarkable 
tracery and pencilings, and all this inside work was 
done in ebony. Taken as a whole, its immense size 
and exquisite workmanship made it a marked flower. 
I had tried so many choice things from the east and 
found them failures in the west, I was a little afraid 
of this. The next year I secured some, and found to 
my delight that they are well adapted to all the West 
and ISTorthwest. Since then I have seen them growl- 
ing without winter protection in the Yellowstone Park 
in a garden near the Mammoth Hot Springs. They 
prove hardy in Minnesota, and I saw them in Mani- 
toba, so that there is no doubt of their hardiness. 

The root is in shape and color like a small parsnip. 
The seeds are so small it is a difficult matter to raise 
them. You must put them under a screen, and put 
burlap over them, and water that every night till the 



146 THE GOLD MINE 

plants begin to come np. Then take the cloth off at 
night, and water carefully with the sprinkler, care 
being taken to keep the screen on. I lost abont 50,000 
at one time by taking off the screen. The sun burned 
them up. It is as well to get the plants. They can 
be sent by mail. Get good one-year-old roots, and 
some of them will bloom the next year. The best time 
to plant is in the fall. If you cannot do 'this, plant 
early in the spring. A gentleman visiting our place 
from Illinois said that he had plants bloom twenty-five 
years in succession without any covering; but I think 
it is well to throw some coarse litter over them. After 
they bloom in June, the tops seem to droop and then 
die, and you might think the whole thing dead, root and 
all ; but the}^ are only going into a dormant condition 
for rest after producing those enormous flowers which 
seem to exhaust them. But about the first of Septem- 
ber they begin to revive and send up new leaves and 
the roots put on new vigor for the next summer's work. 

They bloom with the Paeonies. The individual flow- 
ers last but a few days ; but if you have a good sized bed 
of them, there will be a succession of flowers for weeks. 

Of recent years there has been great improvement 
in them. The Orientale is bright scarlet. The Brac- 
teatum is deep crimson, and with a double set of leaves 
— a grand and stately flower. There are sometimes 
sports or variations; for instance, last summer I found 
one of salmon color, which I am saving with great 
care. Silver Queen is silver blush. Pilosum is pale 




Seedling Phloxes in Yobk, Nebeaska^ in Bloom Nov. 1st, After 
Several Severe Frosts. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 149 

lurid scarlet, very showy and distinct, and of a cop- 
pery hue. 

We are probably on the eve of great advance with 
this flower. As soon as they begin to turn from the 
original type, you may expect rapid and wide varia- 
tions. 

I have recently secured a few of the newer sorts and 
will soon see what can be done in the way of crossing 
them. , 

This flower is a native of Armenia. 

PHLOXES. 

I once gathered a lot of seed for planting and laid 
them in a vacant room upstairs. A few nights after, 
in the stillness of the night, we heard a noise much like 
popping corn. Going up to find out the cause, there 
was another sharp snapping sound, and I saw a phlox 
seed shoot across the room. Then I learned another 
lesson on the intelligence of Nature. I found out 
afterwards that in the garden the rij>e seeds would 
snap out quite a distance from the plant. Of course 
the design is to extend their scope and area and gradu- 
ally possess more ground. This opened my eyes to 
the possibilities of their improvement in raising them 
from seed. 

This is not a diflicult matter if you know how. If 
you don't, you will make a failure. 

An old and careful florist who had rare success on 
other lines told me he never could raise phloxes from 
seed. I asked him what his method had been. He 



150 THE GOLD MINE 

said lie sent to the best florists for the very choicest 
seed, and he planted it time and again and not a seed 
grew. 

^^Did you plant in the fall or spring?" 

^'In the spring, of conrse/' 

"Well, there is just where you missed it. If you 
will watch I^ature, you will see that she throws the 
seed on the ground, where it lays subject to the heat 
and cold, lying in the slush and snow and freezing 
and thawing, and then the seeds will come up like 
hardy weeds in the spring. If the winter has been 
wet and cold with a good deal of freezing and thawing, 
you will see hundreds of little ones coming up all 
around the parent plants." 

Sometimes these are hoed up for weeds, sometimes 
the gardener thinks they will amount to nothing; that 
they will be nothing but scrubs, and so he hoes them 
up, and thus thousands of promising little plants have 
been destroyed. The way is to pick the seed just be- 
fore they are ready to burst from the pod ; put them in 
a basket or large paper box with a cover on so they 
will not pop out. Sow them in the fall under a screen 
or where you can water them well in the spring. . See 
that they do not dry when germinating, and you will 
have a fine bed of strong plants which will begin to 
bloom the first of July and continue till the hard frosts 
of autumn. The accompanying picture shows a group 
of seedlings in bloom E^ovember 1st — of course, after 
several frosts. 




Crbpuscule Phlox. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 153 



A DISCOVERY. 



It is a well known fact that some fruits and flowers 
have a marvelous degree of motherhood. The Con- 
cord grape, the Wealthy and Duchess apples have a 
numerous progeny. This is true in the floral world. 
For years I had been raising seedling phloxes. I found 
no deterioration, and often improvement. If you plant 
a choice kind away by itself, it will be reproduced 
from the seed to a large extent, and often when inter- 
mingled the progeny will surpass the parents. 

Of course, it was necessary to have a mother with 
the choicest of characteristics. What was needed was 
a full head, large flowers and continuous bloom. 

This was found in the Crepuscule of French origin. 
The flower is as large as a silver dollar. It has a com- 
pact, massive head, as though it was one large blossom. 
The bloom is white with violet shade and a large bright 
carmine eye. It is rather dwarf in habit, for it prefers 
to make bloom rather than stem or wood. Every way 
it is an ideal flower. 

I planted this in the midst of others. Right by the 
side of it was the Coquelicot, also of French origin. 
This has blossoms of intense flame color, but unfor- 
tunately the flowers are small, and they sunburn badly. 
In themselves they are worthless. But Mother Cre- 
puscule imparted both size and hardiness to the off- 
spring of these plants. On the other side there were 
those that were red, some magenta and others of various 
colors. Seeds of these gave fine distinct flowers and 



154 THE GOLD MINE 

large size. In short, as the result of that companion- 
ship I found I had at least twenty varieties, and most 
of them much finer than any I could import. A noted 
florist came to see them. Of course, it was difficult 
for me to keep still after my discovery. He w^as de- 
lighted. Taking out a silver dollar, he laid it on one 
of the flowers of one of my new creations. lie found 
it would not cover it, and then, to he exact, he said 
facetiously, ^'It would take just ahout one dollar and 
thirty-five cents to cover that single bloom.'' While 
that was the largest, there were several others which 
would strain a dollar to cover them. Of course, this 
opens a new chapter, and I am now on the highway of 
other discoveries. I have sent for the largest I can 
hear of .and intend to follow this matter up. 

There is this difference between phloxes and paeonies. 
You plant the seed of the former, and you get your 
results within tlie year, often in ten months ; whereas 
with the latter it will take five to eight years,. 

TIME or PLANTING. 

I find it is best to plant in the fall. Have your 
ground rich and friable — well pulverized so the plant 
can easily assimilate the food. If you want a plant to 
do its best, you must do your best by it. Always mulch 
in w^inter. 

You may put the finest kind that money will buy 
in the sod, and give it neglect, and the flowers will be 
small. Then you say the florist has deceived you, when 
if you would go to his grounds you would find every- 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 155 

thing as he represented. ]N^ow if a plant like the phlox 
is to do its best work, it must have the very best chance. 
Put them about two feet apart each way and give them 
the best of cultivation, and you will have your reward. 
If you w^re fitting a lot of choice cattle for the show 
ring, you would not feed them on straw and treat them 
with utter neglect. Your great Holstein must have 
something besides rotten and mouldy hay if you ex- 
pect a good flow of milk. So if your flowers are ex- 
pected to go pn dress parade, you must give them some- 
thing to make their beautiful garments out of. 

It is not wise to send for seeds. People often ask 
me for them. I refuse. It is hard to separate them 
from the pods. The better way is to get tlic plants, 
if only a fcAV, and raise your own seed. You can have 
the time of blooming under absolute control from June 
till November. If you have a large bed, wlien they 
are six inches to a foot high, mow off a portion. This 
retards them, and you can vary this method to fit the 
time you wish them to flower. Again, you may have 
a bed a year old. These, if undisturbed, will bloom 
early. Then will come the fall planted ones, a little 
later in blooming. Then those planted in the spring. 
Lastly those grown from seed will take the remainder 
of the season, till the hard frosts of autumn. 

It is well to take up and separate the roots every 
fall. Under good care they readily double every year, 
and some plants will give you three or four. Do not 
plant them in heavy clay lands, for the fibrous roots 



156 THE GOLD MINE 

are very tender and will break as you separate the stiff 
earth from them. 

THE NAME PHLOX, 

The signification is flame, on account of the bril- 
liancy of the flowers. In the early days of Illinois, we 
used to see great fields of these plants in the fullness of 
their beauty. Along in the fifties I used to ride over 
the vast prairies of Minnesota, where there would be 
great flower gardens of thousands of acres, which filled 
the air with their fragrance ; and the tonic of the fresh 
air laden with perfume, and the immense fields of grow- 
ing beauty would bring a new zest to life. 

In the Yellowstone Park there is a beautiful creep- 
ing Phlox, which blooms in spite of the frosts. It 
spreads out in clusters, often covering the rocks. It is 
flesh, or light pink, in color, and a very attractive 
flower. 

The Phlox is a native of ^orth America. It was 
taken to Europe, and in the hands of florists there, it 
has shown variations of form and color that are amaz- 
ing. Its cultivation has great possibilities for the am- 
ateur. The family is so large and the variations so 
extensive that hybridization is yet going on. Their 
improvement and development have reached that stage 
where, with a little care, we can have a marvelous di- 
versity in form and color. Plant the choice varieties 
by themselves ; save the seed, planting it under a screen 
in the fall, and you stand a chance of securing the 
same. Of course, if you raise for the market you 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 157 

should wait till they flower, and eliminate everything 
not lip to the parental pattern. 

The Paniculata. Is a strong growing native variety. 

The Maculata. Is of a more dwarfish habit. These 
two have been hybridized by European florists, till now 
we have perhaps a hundred choice kinds. 

The Divaricata. Is yet another variety of our na- 
tives. 

Phlox Drummondi. AVas found growing in Texas 
by a botanical collector, Mr. Drummond. He sent the 
seed home, but soon after died of the fever, so this va- 
riety, which is an annual, was named from him. This 
has been greatly improved, and it is claimed that some 
of the finest Dcrennials have a strain of the Drummondi. 
The plants should have the best of care. They need 
Avater in hot, dry weather. I have known them to 
stand up well under 110 in the shade, with the hot wind 
raging, provided they had plenty of water. - 

SOME OF THE VARIETIES THE WHITE. 

Independence. Is a full, snowy white, one of the 
early ones. It is a free bloomer and quite attractive. 

Jeanne d' Arc. Is massive, fine and late, a great 
mass of purity. 

The Pearl. Is another very fine one. 

But the grandest of all is Praulein G. Von Lossburg. 
This is far in advance of any white one yet produced. 
The flowers are of glowing, sheeny whiteness, and are 
of immense size, sometimes measuring nearly two inch- 
es in diameter. These are very rare, and so are quite 



158 THE GOLD MINE 

expensive. But in this superb variety you have the 
very triumph of horticulture, showing the wide contrast 
between this new creation and the original stock. 

Coquelicot. Is French for poppy. This is flaming, 
bright, orange scarlet, almost the color of the brilliant 
oriental poppy. They are the brightest of all, but our 
hot suns are almost too much for them. They should 
have some shelter from the fierce heat of July. 

Crepuscule. Has a flower larger than a silver dol- 
lar. It has a compact, massive head, as though it was 
one large blossom. The blooms are white, with violet 
shade, and a large, bright, carmine purple eye. 

Huxley. Is violet purple, with a large center of 
pure white. 

Esperence. Has a lovely shade of light lavender 
pink, with great lustrous eyes of white; compact, i\ 
free bloomer, and very beautiful. The head is like a 
great, solid, symmetrical cone of beautiful shadings. 

Cross of Honor. This is not a large flower, but is 
very peculiar, on account of each petal having a clearly 
defined cross. 

Eclaireur. Has flowers of immense size. They are 
bright violet purple, dazzling in their splendor. In the 
center are marks and stars. This, by some, is consid- 
ered the finest of all. It is one of the earliest. The 
stem is dwarf, but not the flower. 

Amarante. Is dark violet amaranth. 

Bacchante. Has enormous flowers, deep rosy car- 
mine, with purple eyes. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 159 

DUCHESS D^ORLEAXS. 

This variety is remarkable in that it has variegated 
foliage, the leaves being bordered and mottled with 
white. Flowers are salmon color — a very distinct va- 
riet^^ 

Emannel. Is very rare and of unusual color — vio- 
let blue, with purple center. 

Le Soliel. Is light rose, shading to white near the 
center. 

Lord Kelvin. Is very large bright red. 

Lothair. Is salmon red, with carmine eye. 

Ornament. Is bright clear rose, with very large 
pyramidal panicles. 



CHAPTEE XVI. 

THE PAEONY. 

This flower is tlie highest triumph of floriculture. It 
is the hardiest and has the widest adaptation of all. 
It flourishes north and south, east and west, and thrives 
up to the Artie circle. 

Many varieties have the fragrance of the rose, often 
surpassing it in form and loveliness. Some have the 
odor of the pond lily, others the perfume of the helio- 
trope, and some are cinnamon scented. With a proper 
selection of early and late varieties they continue in 
bloom from six to eight weeks. 

In handling them they are so hardy that losses can 
seldom occur, and invariably you plant a success in- 
stead of a failure. They multiply rapidly instead of 
growing less and less and going out entirely as is the 
case with many valuable plants. They are seldom 
troubled with disease, and they do not suffer from in- 
sect pests such as often destroy the rose. 

They are both patrician and plebeian in character. 
They wdll grow and bloom as well in the gardens 
of the poor as in costly estates of the rich. They are 
the joy of the poor girl as well as the lady of fashion. 
Their cheerful faces are an antidote for the blues. 



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IN THE FRONT YARD. 163 

Every blossom is a smile of Providence, showing that 
God is near, giving choicest gifts to men. 

They are the interpreters of the unseen love which 
is lurking in the shadows waiting for a revelation to 
the toilers and the despondent. 

ISTo more heroic flower ever bloomed. 
In the great prairie empire, so dreary and vast, 
Where roses are slain by the terrible blast, 
Where sirocco and blizzard in tournament vie. 
And flowers of the Eastland gTOw homesick and die ; 
Where gardens are lonely and homes are forlorn, 
There bravely our queen lifts her beautiful form 
And laughs at the tempest and smiles at the storm. 
And mothers whose eyes have grown weary with wait- 
ing, 
And girls whose sweet spirits for beauty are aching, 
Shall smile on the march of our glorious flower. 
And souls that are himgry her beauty devour. 
''No more shall the homestead be sad and forlorn. 
An invasion of beauty the land shall adorn. 
How sweetly her blossoms the senses beguile, 
And the wearv revive with the breath of her smile. 

What tremendous strides have already been made, 
and the successes of the past are only prophecies of the 
future. Fifty years ago there were only twenty-five 
varieties. Now there are over 2,000 named, besides 
thousands of others in the background. An interest 
is being awakened unknown before. 

One man has recently planted 35 pounds of the 
choicest seed he can gather, and hundreds of others are 



164 THE GOLD MINE 

endeavoring to call out of the unknown, choicer 'ones 
than have jet been discovered. 'No flower so richly 
rcAvards the propagator. Among a thousand seedlings 
there may be only one of superior excellence, yet each 
one will be distinct from the rest, and not a poor or 
worthless one among them all. 

To show the awakening interest in the fall of 1904 
the leading papers of the West, aggregating a circula- 
tion of over 300,000, have given special illustrated is- 
sues awakening an interest in the great empire of the 
^Northwest, where such flow^ers are so much needed and 
where they succeed so well. 

There is no plant or flower on earth which gives so 
much pleasure and profit and so richly rewards its 
friends. 

CLASSIFICATION OF THE OKIGINAL VARIETIES. 

I have spent much time in the endeavor to search 
out the original families of this remarkable flower. 
From the number we judge that there is yet great room 
for progress, and perhaps we have only just begun with 
our hybridizing. By permission I quote from J. W. 
Manning, in "American Grardening," of March 5th, 
for which I tender grateful acknowledgment : 

"Until the forthcoming Paeony list of the American 
Paeony Society is published, I believe quotation of va- 
riety names should be used with great care, and believe 
that the best interest may be served by giving the fol- 
lowing list of species and their distinctive characters: 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 165 

Paeonia Albiflora, Pallas. A Siberian species in- 
troduced about 1756, and one of the forerunners of the 
hybrid herbaceous forms, two to three feet high, with 
deep, rich green, often veined red, leaflets, and bearing 
clusters of three or more very large, broad, overlapping 
petaled white to light pink single flowers, and showing 
globular masses of golden anthers in the center of each. 
Jime. Reevesiana, Fragrans, Whitleyi and Festiva 
show close affinity to this species. 

Paeonia Anomala, Linn. From Europe and Asia, 
with finely dissected, smooth foliage. Solitary, single, 
bright crimson flowers, and distinct in the large size 
of the petals and the peculiar compound, leaf-like sepals. 
Two feet. May. Its varieties, Insignis, Peter Barr, 
Smoutti and Intermedia are now recognized, being more 
distinct in the character of foliage than otherwise. 

Paeonia Arietina, Anders. A tall south European 
species, distinct in the stems, being hairy toward the 
top; the foliage quite glaucus and dowmy beneath. The 
flowers are large, dark red and solitary, and the seed 
pods are prominently covered with hairs. The varie- 
ties range through shades of pink and red. 

Paeoni Browni, Dougl. A northwest American 
dwarf species with glaucus foliage and dull, brownish- 
red flowers, borne on re-ourved stems. 

Paeonia Broteri, Boiss and Reut. An early-bloom- 
ing, European species, similar in foliage and habit to 
Paeonia Officinalis, with red flowers varying to white. 

Paeonia Coccinea. A reported species in the Royal 
Botanical Gardens at Glasnevin. 



166 THE GOLD MINE 

Paeonia Corallina, Eetz. Asia Minor. A vigor- 
ous species, two to three feet high, with dark green 
foliage, the lower leaves of which are only twice divid- 
ed. Bright crimson flowers, with short, rounded pet- 
als and seed vessels of a bright red color. 

Paeonia Coriacea, Boiss. Similar to Paeonia Albi- 
flora, with even broader leaflets, bright crimson flow- 
ers, purple stigmas and smooth seed vessels. 

Paeonia Corsica, Sieber. Closely related to, if not 
the same as, the last. 

Paeonia Decora, Andees. Prom southern Europe. 
A close species to Paeonia Arietina, with peculiar hori- 
zontal foliage diminishing toward top of the stems, 
which are two to three feet high. The crimson flowers 
are small, with few narrow and small petals. Pallasii, 
with narrow leaflets, and Elatior, with broadly oblong 
leaflets, are recognized varieties. 

Paeonia Emodi, Wael. A Himalayan species, two 
to three feet high, closely related to Paeonia Anomala, 
with smooth, finely cut foliage, pale beneath. Flow- 
ers pure white, borne in clusters of four or more. 

Paeonia Humilis, Retz. A French species of low 
growth, with somewhat velvety foliage, and with bright 
red flowers on short stems, and borne in clusters of three 
or more, with smooth seed pods. 

Paeonia Lutea. Recently discovered species from 
Yunnan, and introduced by Abbe Delavay, growing 
about two feet high and bearing small, bright yellow 
flowers. The plant is somewhat shrubby in habit, and 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 167 

allied to Paeonia Moiitan. ^Not sufficiently tested as 
yet as to hardihood. 

Paeonia Microcarpa, Boiss and Reut. Closely al- 
lied to P. Humilis, with even dwarfer habit and more 
downy foliage. Presumably a native of Prance. 

Paeonia Mollis, Andeks. A dwarf Siberian species, 
with dark green upper surface to foliage, and distinctly 
glaucous and velvety below. Flowers pink or red, and 
borne singly. 

Paeonia Moutan, Sims. The well-known Tree Pae- 
ony, a native of China. 

Paeonia Officinalis, Linn. The oldest cultivated spe- 
cies, first grown in 1548, with dark green foliage above, 
pale green beneath, growing two to three feet high and 
producing single, dark crimson flowers, and with re- 
curved crimson stigmas. Early blooming, and a par- 
ent of many double anemone-flowered and semi-double 
varieties. A native of Europe. 

Paeonia Paradoxa, Andees. A very dwarf, almost 
tufted, Turkish species, with three-lobed incised foliage 
and purplish red flowers borne singly, and with seed 
vessels closely pressed together. There is a variety, 
fimbriata, with double purple flowers and projecting 
purple stamens. 

Paeonia Peregi'ina, Mill. A European species 
similar to Paeonia Officinalis, but with very smooth, 
deep green foliage above, pale green, hairy beneath. 
Flowers bright crimson. This has given rise to two 
good double forms and a number of varieties with 
single whorls of petals. 



168 THE GOLD MINE 

Paeonia Obovata, Maxim. A little known species, 
with ''lower leaves not more than twice ternate ; flow- 
ers large, red-purple, and glabrous seed vessels." 

Paeonia Pubens, Sims. Allied to Paeonia Arietina. 
Leaves hairy below, margins red. 

Paeonia Russi, Bivoni. A Sicilian and Prencli 
species varying from Paeonia Corallina in decidedly 
hairy undersurface of foliage. 

Paeonia Sessiliflora, Sims. !Kearly related to Pae- 
onia Mollis ; very low ; flowers short-stemmed, pure 
white. 

Paeonia Tritemata (Daurica) Pallas. Three feet. 
Differs only from Paeonia Corallina in the rounded 
leaves, greener stems and rose-colored flowers. A na- 
tive of Caucasus. 

Paeonia Sibrica. A little known species in the Glas- 
nevin Roval Botanic Garden list. 

Paeonia Tenuifolia, Linn. (Abbreviation of Lin- 
neus.) A Caucasus species eighteen inches high, with 
light, soft green, very finely divided foliage, and dark 
crimson, yelloAv anthered flowers and spirally recurved 
stigma. The earliest blooming species. There are 
double and semi-double types of this. 

Paeonia Wittmanniana, Stev, A Caucasian and 
north Persian species about two feet high, with coarse- 
ly divided, dark green foliage, downy beneath and bear- 
ing showy, incurved, pale yellow flowers, one to a stem. 
Rare. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 169 



PKOPAGAXION, 



It is highly important to know how to multiply these 
valuable flowers, for the process is slow at best. 

You buy a choice Syringa or Philadelphus, and you 
can divide the roots and plant cuttings and increase 
them very rapidly. You can, in a few years, run a 
new kind of a fruit tree up into the millions, but you 
cannot rush the Paeony. One of the best on the list 
originated in 1835, and it is impossible now to sup- 
ply the demand. If you raise from seed you never 
reproduce the original, and it takes from five to eight 
years to know what you are getting. But with care, 
by root division alone, you can secure from one to two 
thousand in ten years. There are three modes of prop- 
agation, — l)y division, from roots and from seed. 

We have a different system, where we raise for roots, 
than where we propagate for flowers. By the best of 
care on the richest ground you can hurry them consid- 
erably. But there is a gTcat difference in them. L'Es- 
perence and Victoria Tricolor multiply rapidly, while 
J. Discaisne, though a glorious flower, wants about four 
years to double itself. Others equally as good in bloom 
are much more profitable. From Baroness Schoder, 
La Tulipe and Richardson's Rubra I liave cut thirty 
roots in four years from one. By dividing every two 
or three years you have perfectly healthy and vigorous 
roots. I have bought those that must have stood twelve 
or fifteen years. The buds were partially decayed, and 
they had great, club-like roots. There is no advan- 



170 THE GOLD MINE 

tage in such large roots.. A two-year-old plant, sound 
and vigorous, is much to be preferred. 

A neighbor wished me to do something for his Pae- 
onies. They had been twenty-five years in grass and 
weeds. They were crowding and exhausting each other. 
They would bud, but had no vigor to expand the bloom. 
I took up great clumps, and found them much decayed. 
I cut them up, planting the buds and what little root 
I could secure with them, and in two years had as strong 
and vigorous stock as I ever saw. My land consists 
mostly of city lots, so I must plant closely in rows, 
about eighteen inches apart, and eight inches in the 
row. Of course they could not stay long. I have the 
advantage of irrigation if necessary. I have often 
planted buds alone, with no root whatever. One fall 
1 put in thirty, and the next year had twenty-seven 
fine plants. 

DIVIDING THE ROOTS. 

This is difiicult, and requires patience and judgment. 
Some have a distinct cleavage, and are easily separated. 
Others, like Marie Lemoine, have no cleavage, but are 
gnarled and twisted. Some, like Princess Ellen, have 
roots like a ball. Many are very tender, and as you 
begin to divide, they will snap like pipe stems. This 
is bad, for there are the roots, and you need them to go 
with the buds. If you lose them it will take a year or 
two to replace them. Let them lie in the shade a few 
hours and wilt. This toughens them and does not hurt 
them a particle. You can immediately restore them 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 171 

to their plumpness by putting them in wet moss, or 
keeping in or planting in moist earth. This is a very 
important matter. I got onto this process after a good 
deal of annoyance and vexation. In planting, have 
your ground in the best of order. I have deep, rich 
soil, fertilized with hen manure when I can get it; 
only prepare your ground beforehand, so the fertiliz- 
ing will be assimilated. Make a deep, wide hole with 
the spade, insert the root, press the earth close about, 
put the bud two or three inches below the surface, and 
be careful not to bruise it. It is a good idea to put 
a coat of manure over them in winter. 

PLANTING FOR FLOWERS. 

You can raise roots and blossoms at the same time, 
but you cannot multiply as rapidly as where you raise 
solely for the increase. Of course you will raise many 
flowers while you are propagating. The ready bloom- 
ers will get in their work the second year, and at that 
time we often have quite a burden of bloom. Some 
sorts require time to come to their best. Usually the 
largest and latest sorts need a year longer than the 
others, while some kinds will bloom on the least provo- 
cation. Victoria Tricolor is noted as an early, prolific 
bloomer, and a ready multiplier. It often blossoms 
the first year. 

To raise the largest and finest flowers, the ground 
should be very rich. We often cart on soil and manure 
to increase the depth. Hich, bottom land, well ma- 
nured, is best. The ground to be planted in the fall 



172 THE GOLD MINE 

should be prepared in the summer. It should be spad- 
ed two or three feet deep. Plant in rows four feet 
apart and three feet in the row, so you can cultivate 
with the horse, if necessary. Sometimes I have pre- 
pared ground in this way: On an eighth of an acre 
there were scattered eight loads of hen, manure, and 
a strong team plowed it two furrows deep and too!^ 
the whole day for it. This thorough preparation is 
necessary for tiie best results and the largest blooms. 
Of course you do not have to be at sucli expense. They 
will grow, thrive and bloom on good corn ground. By 
this process you are raising roots as well as flowers, 
and at the end of ten years you will have an enormous 
crop of the former, but they will be large and not so 
easy to handle. 

In planting to raise flowers, be sure to take good, 
strong roots. Such will come into bearing much soon- 
er than small ones. I should not plant clumps, but 
heavy ones, and they will make the clumps soon enough. 

I have gone into detail because I deem the Paeony 
the queen of flowers, and it should have the best pos- 
sible chance. 

RAISING FROM ROOTS. 

I have watched this process closely for years, and 
have found one thing, perhaps not discovered by oth- 
ers. The root is small where it joins at the top; it 
swells in the center and then tapers. 'Now if a root 
is broken at the center, the lower portion never can 
form a head. It will try hard. A callous will be formed 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 173 

at either end. The poor thing will do its best to put 
a head on itself, but cannot make it. At the end of 
the first year the root will yet be sound, the second 
year the top will begin to decay, and the third year it 
w^ll be rotten. The upper portion of this same root, 
where it breaks from the plant, will have a good show 
for forming a head. Kinds differ. The Edulis Su- 
perba and others of its class are stored with vitality. 
I have often stripped off roots, like fingers from the 
hand, and planted them, and almost invariably a bud 
would form the first year and be ready for business 
the next spring. Sometimes it will take two years to 
form a head, but in the main you will succeed better 
to carefully divide and plant root and bud together. 

A good way to accelerate the development of roots 
and latent buds is to pack in moss or moist earth, and 
keep them over winter in a cellar which does not freeze. 
I have often known roots to develop twice the buds 
they had before, and those with no buds at all by spring- 
would have some fairly well started. 

PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING. 

The propagation of the paeony as com[)ared with 
fruit trees and shrubs is slow at best, so grafting is 
often resorted to. 

Understand, every paeony root is anxious to live. 
We show elsewhere how a root will work three years 
forming a callous at either end in the effort to live. 
Take a root far enough removed from what we term 
the crown, so it cannot develop a bud of its own, and 



174 THE GOLD MINE 

bj the cleft graft system insert a bud of some choic.e 
variety. The root will rather rejoice that a head has 
been given it, and will throw out roots to match it, 
while there will be no danger of its reproducing itself. 
Thus the roots of common vigorous sorts can be made 
to accelerate the production of the costlier kinds. Graft- 
ing should be done late in the fall or winter. The 
grafts and cleft in the root should be carefully waxed 
and laid away in damp moss. Then place in a cool 
cellar till spring. It would be better not to have them 
freeze, though freezing would not seriously injure 
them. 

A paeony specialist just writes me, "I have some 
plants the eyes of which alone are worth $1 to $2, 
and what shall I do with them ?" I gave him the 
foregoing process, which I am sure will succeed. 

Suppose you get a choice root of some variety for 
which you pay $3 to $5. It has only one good vigor- 
ous root, and perhaps half a dozen eyes — ^more eyes 
than the root can carry to advantage. 'Now you can cut 
off the eyes and put in moist earth in the cellar, and 
each one will throw out tiny roots, and in the spring 
you can put it out carefully. Shelter it a little from 
plunging rains, and it will make a plant. ' It may take 
two or three years to make a saleable plant of it. By 
grafting you would have speedier results. 

RAISING FROM SEEDS. 

We must pay more attention to this. There is no 
reason why we should not produce more rare sorts. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 175 

There is a fascination here. You never know what 
is coming. Just beside you, in the unknown, there is 
a rare, lovely and fragrant flower waiting to surprise 
you. You wish to give it a chance to materialize, so 
you are on the alert to welcome your new creations. 
One in a hundred will be fair; perhaps one in a thou- 
sand will be superior. 

How about hand pollenization ? I should let the 
bees attend to that. 

ISTote this fact: You must secure seed from the 
VERY CHOICEST KINDS. Here we are handicapped. 
Great, splendid ones, like Festiva Maxima, Tecumseh 
and Richardson's Rubra Superba, can go no further. 
Those grand, double ones have reached their limit. It 
is well-known that the single and semi-double are very 
prolific, and yield any amount of seed. When Terry 
and Rosenfield, in the west, commenced their work, 
they secured seed from the very best. Thirty years 
ago Mr. Terry began with seeds from the choicest flow- 
ers that would yield any, and he has given us some fine 
ones. So with Rosenfield, who gave us Floral Treas- 
ure and Golden Harvest, that now stand well at the 
head of the procession. 

Other propagators I know of have used, I am sure, 
seeds from inferior plants, and as like begets like, they 
have very inferior strains. One grower, by a good 
deal of enthusiasm and fulsome praise, has sold sev- 
eral which prove to be a disappointment. The whole 
stock, with a few exceptions, is coarse and cheap, and 
does not sustain itself. It is remarkable that you mav 



176 THE GOLD MINE 

raise a thousand seedlings, and there will be no two 
exactly alike. 

What shall be done with the thousands of rejected 
ones ? We have too many named ones already, about 
two thousand. Shall wei throw them away ? By no 
means. If you had never seen a Paeony and were intro- 
duced to the thousand left behind, you would call them 
fine flowers, and so they are. In the hosts of these 
common; ones I never saw a really poor one. They 
are all good, but there are the better and the best. I 
would say keep them. They can be used for parks 
and in masses. Put them on your cheap list and clas- 
sify them in colors. There are many people who in- 
sist that a ^"^piny" is a ^^piny," and that is all there 
is of it, and they will insist that you keep a ^'bargain 
counter," for they think they are terribly cheated if 
they have to pay more than twenty-five cents for a 
^^piny.'' They are much like the young darkey who, 
by mistake, got a license to marry Lucinda, when he 
had agreed to marry Katie. It would cost him some- 
thing to get a new license. He proved equal to the 
occasion, ^^Dere ain't no $1.75 difference between dem 
two niggers, and I'll just marry Lucinda." 

W^e are glad to note cheering success in originating: 
new varieties in America. We need to go in on a larger 
scale. Mr. Kelway, of England, and Mr. Terry, of 
Iowa, have given us over 100 each. The main differ- 
ence between them is, Kelway has used the most ink. 
I think Terry has never photographed one of his grand 
creations. We are happy, however, to present some 



I 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 179 

in this Manual. I think it would be much better to 
go heavily into the busineps of propagation than to send 
so much money to Europe and import so many disap- 
pointments. 

There is a future for this industry. For instance, 
the new Japanese, with their peculiar stamens, are 
very unique. I have about twenty-four kinds. They 
seed readily, and, having them hemmed in with other 
fine varieties, I have great hopes of a new race of hy- 
brids. I also intend this fall of 1904 to plant about 
two quarts of the very choicest seeds that I can secure. 
I have large quantities of my own and have engaged 
more, and from the coming thousands I hope to see 
some of superior merit. As to those which will not 
be named, keep them. The great empire of the l^orth- 
west will need them. Most of those raised by Western 
growers yet go East, and the bleak l^orthwest is \vak- 
ing up to their merits, and will yet absorb millions. 

CARE OF SEEDS AXD TLANTIXG. 

It is better to gather the seeds before they get thor- 
oughly dried, and plant immediately, or mix them with 
moist sand and plant just before the ground freezes. 
In the West, often our falls are so dry that seed, at 
the ordinary depth, would dry out. Those can be 
planted that are thoroughly dried, but it takes two, and 
even three, years for them to germinate. They should 
be planted in rows about two inches deep. If, iri the 
spring the ground should incline to crust, it may need 
pulverizing with a rake, so that the little plants can 



180 THE GOLD MINE 

come up readily. If sown in a seed bed they can be 
removed when a year old. Though the roots will be 
small they will be full of vitality. If far enough apart 
so they can have a fair chance to develop, it is better to 
let them remain till they bloom. But it takes some 
years for them to fully show their individuality so you 
can know what to depend on. Don't be in a hurry. 
I have known rejected ones to develop flowers equal 
to almost any, and I have one which was discarded while 
young, which is now near the head of the procession. 
Young plants do not often go back, but show up better 
as they grow old. The Paeonj'' has almost infinite pa- 
tience, and you must have a little eVen in this age of 
steam and lightning. 

THE HARDINESS OF THE PAEONY. 

We know of nothing in the vegetable world which 
has the vigor and hardiness of this plant. The root 
is like the gripsack of the traveler, Avhich contains the 
supplies for his journey. It will come to us from 
Europe and bring in compact form foliage, flower and 
life. We know of nothing that will stand more hard 
treatment, exposure and neglect. It may be left on 
the ground, exposed to the sun, for days, and be badly 
withered, and yet it will revive and grow. Often we 
find, where we have cut up plants in the fall, that tiny 
buds, so small as to escape notice, after freezing and 
thawing all winter, will throw out shoots and tiny root- 
lets, and we have often saved them. One spring two 
roots of La Tulipe were left in the barn two months. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 181 

till, to all appearance, they were dead. They Avere 
planted the first of June, and they immediately revived 
and grew. 

One winter w^e had several boxes stored in a root 
cellar. They were poorly packed. Some one left the 
door open and they were all frozen solid. The door 
was closed, and they remained frozen till spring, when 
they were planted, without the loss of one. It is no 
uncommon thing to keep a lot in boxes seven months 
at a time with but slight packing. I once had a re- 
markable experience with a lot from Kelway, England. 
They came over in reasonable time, but were delayed 
in a warm office at Lincoln, Neb., a month before T 
was notified. The box was dried out and full of cracks, 
and the moss was dry as powder. The roots Avere black, 
and snapped like sticks. The buds w^ere shriveled. 
I had the expressman look them over, and all pro- 
nounced them dead. There were thirty roots, some of 
which cost $2.50 each. Of course the express com- 
pany had to pay damages. Taking them home about 
the first of November, I cut off the dead roots and 
planted the buds in moist earth in a box in the cellar. 
At the end of a month the buds began to swell. De- 
cember 1st, they were planted out, and were frozen all 
winter. They all grew but one, and one of them 
bloomed. Of course it took an extra year to form 
new roots. They seemed much like the Mexican resur- 
rection plant. 

They are like the Rocky Mountain burro that bears 
any amount of misuse or neglect, and yet patiently 



182 THE GOLD MINE 

plods along. Often for years they must bear neglect 
in grass, or the hard earth tramped solid about them. 
And yet they hang on, doing the best they can. Yet 
while they patiently endure so much, there is nothing 
that responds with more grateful alacrity to generous 
treatment. A neighbor had an Alba Sulphuria, which 
had bloomed in utter neglect for twenty-five years. 1 
bought the clump, he retaining a couple of roots. He 
planted his in the grass and hard earth, digging but 
a little space for them. In four years they have not 
bloomed or grown. They could not. They could only 
live. I planted my part in the richest ground, and 
how they increased and blossomed. In about four 
years I had nearly one hundred plants. 

All the great West and Northwest are well adapted 
to them, and it should be a matter of encouragement 
that the finest flower that blooms will give its cheer 
to a vast region Vv^here other flowers cannot grow. They 
are hardier than the pieplant. We pay out millions 
for choice roses, and other things which cannot endure 
our winters. It is much better to plant an absolute 
success than a sure failure. 

^^PLAYIN'G POSSUM." 

Possessed of a marvelous patience, this plant will 
often bide its time, and seem dead, when it is only gath- 
ering its forces for a vigorous push. 

One fall I planted quite a row of the splendid Prin- 
ceps. Next spring not one of them came up, nor did 
they show any signs of life during the summer. I was 



i 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 183 

preparing to use the ground for something else, when, 
after lying dormant for eighteen months, the whole 
row pushed up and commenced a vigorous growth. 

When you dig a lot from the ground, there will 
be many spring up the first year, and often more will 
show the second year, having taken so long a time 
to form a head. It is my custom in cutting up, to re- 
plant the same row to the same kind, to avoid any 
mixture, and if I cannot do this I am careful to plant 
between where the rows were, so the strays will not 
come up in the same row with those I am planting, 
but betw^een them. 

THOROUGHBRED LIVE STOCK AND THOROUGHBRED 

FLOWERS. 

I used to keep thoroughbred Jerseys and Shorthorns. 
Though I enjoyed it they were a constant care. One 
night I was awakened by a fearful crash. I wakened 
the boys and told them to bring the lanterns. Rush- 
ing out, I saw in the barn two balls of fire. They be- 
longed to the Shorthorn. lie weighed a ton, and ev- 
ery pound of him was in fighting trim. Aiming a 
pitchfork a suitable distance below those blazing orbs, 
I caught him in the nose. Then the lights came. We 
secured him and led him back to his stall. I a' seemed 
the Jersey got loose and thought it a good time to take 
revenge. The Shorthorn tore himself loose, drove the 
Jersey back to his stall, and, with one tremendous 
thrust, hurled him through the side of the barn. I 
was younger then, but I don't want any more. I have 



184 THE GOLD MINE 

seen men who had built up a fine, choice herd of hogs ; 
then came the cholera and wiped them out. Beautiful 
flocks of fowls melt away with disease, become the prey 
of sneaking beasts or the chicken thief. 

It is different with thoroughbred Paeonies. They 
do not tear themselves in wire fences. You know where 
they are nights. They do not eat their heads off in 
winter. The food costs nothing. You can go oft' on 
your summer vacation, and they will be there when 
you come back. They multiply as fast as live stock. 
There is more money in them, legitimate, honest gain. 
Sixteen years ago a man laid out $50 for choice strains. 
For some time he has been selling $1,000 worth a year. 

I bought a fine plant for $1. In five years I sold 
$18 worth, and had eighteen roots left. One choice 
variety in the same length of time brought in $34, and 
I had fifteen roots left. One fall I had an order for 
500 common mixed sorts for $6 per 100. It took but 
a small piece of ground to furnish them. My man, 
who had worked on the farm, was astonished. ^^Here," 
said he, 'Ve have dug $30 from a few rods of ground, 
and it" we got that from two acres of farm land we 
would do well.'' 

Is Paeony raising a fad, that will soon pass away ? 
It cannot pass ; people will not allow it. In staid old 
Europe the interest has fairly commenced. In our 
Eastern states, where they can raise Azaleas, Kalmias 
and Rhododendrons, the demand is on the increase. 
Most of the stock of Western growers yet goes East. 
In the West we cannot raise the flowers above men- 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 187 

tioned. They will have nothing to do with us. Thej 
are aristocratic Easterners that will die before they 
will live with us. I thought our hot suns and drying- 
winds too much, so I got 1,000 of the hardiest kinds 
I could hear of, and put them under a screen. Kal- 
mias, Azaleas, Rhododendrons, all died in a year, de- 
spite the tenderest care. Do you wonder that we love 
a flower that will step in and take their places, one 
that never grumbles or pines, and is never homesick, 
that is more fragrant and lovely than the best of them ? 
I have attended some of the most famous flower shows 
of the East, and here in l^ebraska we can raise as fine 
Paeonies as anywhere on earth. We plant roses, and 
they kill down and dwindle away, but the Paeony stays 
by us. Millions are needed for our Western states. 
Billions are needed for the Dakotas, Minnesota and 
Manitoba, where they do as well as in England. When 
the finest flowers on earth are fitted for such a vast 
empire, and they will grow and thrive where other 
things will not, you can depend on them. 

Talk about Ginseng for profit! Go to raising Pae- 
onies. This is work for ladies. Already many are 
going into it. There is much less care and expense 
than in raising chickens, though as light work the two 
go together. The hen is mightier than the sword. 
She seems insignificant, yet her produce and progeny 
every year are greater than the output of all the gold 
mines, and the more eggs and chickens you raise, the 
higher they get. The two enterprises are in woman's 
realm. Mrs. Pleas, of Indiana, has raised some fine 



188 THE GOLD MINE 

new sorts. One she sold for $100, and another for 
$150, besides having thousands of dollars' worth of 
enjoyment from her floral friends. 

When you take into consideration the growing value 
of cut fk)wers, you have three harvests from your Pae- 
ony bed, one in the spring, the blossoms in summer, 
and again root sales in the autumn. This delightful 
and profitable employment, together with the fascina- 
tion of raising new kinds from seed, will give a zest and 
joy to living which cannot be found in any indoor em- 
ployment. There is the delight of seeing a transform- 
ation going on, the brown earth putting on robes of 
beauty while you are calling forms of loveliness out 
of the unseen, taking the rainbow and moulding into 
shapes of wondrous fascination. 

ADAPTATION. 

The Moutan or Tree Paeony does remarkably well 
in England and in our Atlantic States. It blooms 
grandly and grows to be quite a bush. I have grown 
them in 'I^ebraska for more than fifteen years, and find 
them very shy bloomers. They will grow and increase 
all right, but I think the buds are sensitive to our try- 
ing climate. It is possible these will do well where 
the herbaceous ones are not satisfactory. I think, as 
you go south into the Gulf States, especially into the 
sandy soils, the Chinensis will not be satisfactory, and 
perhaps those regions will be just the place for the 
Moutan. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 189 

I understand they can be used successfully for forc- 
ing, and think this would be feasible. The trouble 
with those grown out doors is supposed to be the se- 
vere spring frosts. This difficulty would be obviated 
by bringing them into the greenhouse. In those sec- 
tions where you can depend on them, the blossoms are 
of resplendent beauty, some of the newer sorts almost 
as large as a dinner plate. 

They are usually propagated by putting a slip into 
the fleshy root of the herbaceous kinds. It will use 
this for a time and then discard it for its own. The 
stools can be readily separated, and if you wish to in- 
crease faster, graft the tops on their own roots much 
as the nurseryman does his young apple trees, using 
the lip or. splice graft. Care must be taken, however, 
to let them knit well before planting out. But if you 
have patience you can wait for the root division. 

Tlie Tenuifolia are the earliest of all. They are 
single and double. They are not quite as hardy as 
the Chinensis, as they need mulching in the West in 
winter, where the cold will be excessive and sometimes 
there will be no snow. I have had them bloom as early 
as May 5th. The blossom is like a rose, seated in that 
delicate, soft, fern-like foliage. The only drawback 
is, it is not fragrant. Yet it has an important place 

to fill. 

The Officianalis is the ''piny" of our mothers. I 
remember with a shudder the steeping of the "piny 
toes" for the .ills of childhood. For years I looked 
with contempt on the whole family on account of the 



190 THE GOLD MINE 

rank and disagreeable odors which came down out of 
the past. Though this has been one of the mothers of 
the new and fragrant race, yet much of the indifference 
regarding the modern flower dates back to the mem- 
ory of the sickening odor, so indelibly impressed on 
childhood. 

Again, they are not hardy in the West and E^orth- 
west. Thousands have planted them and failed, and 
think the whole family a fraud. We get letters from 
Minnesota, telling of failures, and in every instance 
you trace it back to the same old ^^piny." Six years 
ago I planted a dozen good, strong roots. The first 
winter eleven of them died, and it took the survivor 
six years to furnish one bloom. 'No wonder, when peo- 
ple judge from these, that they are prejudiced against 
the whole. The Officinalis multiplies slowly. Others, 
beside this lone one, have blossomed gloriously and in- 
creased rapidly. 

I know there are clumps here and there in l^ebraska, 
and when once established and not disturbed, they 
give early blossoms, following hard on the Tenuifolia. 
Both these kinds have an entirely different system of 
roots from the Chinensis, — something like clumps of 
sweet potatoes. In separating them, as in case of the 
dahlia, you must have a bud go with the root. So 
please bear in mind, if you live in the bleak IsTorth- 
west, that you are never to order the Officinalis. 




TiiE Festiva Maxima. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 193 

CHANGES OF SOIL AND CLIMATE. 

Some kinds are more sensitive to their conditions 
than others. Many varieties of fruits which do well 
in one locality are worthless in others. Some of these 
flowers will do better in certain soils and climates than 
others. Baroness Schroder is called flesh colored in 
England. In Massachusetts, sometimes, instead of be- 
ing pure white it has a grayish tint. In Nebraska it 
is of snowy white, and one of the most perfect flowers 
that ever bloomed. 

Charlemagne is called an enormous flower in Roches- 
ter, but it has been something of a disappointment in 
other locations. We must not condemn a variety as 
a fraud if it does not meet our expectations, for it may 
be a success elsewhere. While we say this, there is 
probably no flower that does so well under varied con- 
ditions. Difference in soil will have something to do 
with it. Of course it cannot do as well in light sand or 
stiff clay as in the rich loam of the West. 

For instance, some apples which do well in the East 
are of no account in the West. It is so with all kinds 
of hardy fruits. So we must give a little chance for 
the Paeony to show its preferences. Giganthea is a 
fine, early pink, producing an enormous flower. It is 
popular and satisfactory in the Atlantic States. Test- 
ing it three or four years, it does not come up to its 
Eastern standard. A large single one said to be nine 
inches across and a splendid flower in Indiana has ab- 
solutely done nothing for five years in ^tTebraska. It 



194 THE GOLD MINE 

may rally in time. Generally, Paeonies will do the 
best they can, but some do seem a little sensitive to their 
conditions. 

MISTAKES AND MIXTURES. 

There has been no end of trouble from these causes. 
As we have had no Paeony society till recently, we have 
had no check on loose methods. So one name has been 
given to several different sorts. Often the choicer the 
kind the more substitutes it has. At least six kinds 
have been sold for Festiva Maxima, and one of our 
best firms innocently sent out Grandiflora Alba for 
years for this variety. There has been no end of con- 
fusion regarding the genuine Humei or Thorbeckii, 
one of our very best. I have bought from many of our 
leading firms those bearing this name, which were not 
even distant relatives of it. It is so with the Duke of 
Wellington. 

Holland firms are notorious for their carelessness. 

I bought of . They were not what I sent 

for. They insisted that they were, when I returned 
their own labels and my order. Then they were not 
true to name. About that time I bought quite a bill 
of an American firm, and they proved the worst mix- 
tures I ever saw, though they were packed with the 
greatest care. I notified them. They supposed they 

were all right, for they got them of — . So many 

of the Dutch firms are so unreliable that we are sure 
of nothing. Before me lies a letter of one of our lead- 
ing growers. He has had no end of vexation. Such 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 195 

methods are in wide contrast to most of our American 
firms. Visiting the grounds of E-osenfield, I found he 
had the different kinds in beds by themselves, and while 
blooming every plant was watched, and if perchance 
there was a stray, it was marked with a stake. 

A noted firm in England, which has done more to 
bring this flower to the front than anyone else, has 
fallen into careless ways. So one dealer says, "We get 
only the sweepings of their fields.'' This is bad, for 
we supposed we had a firm we could absolutely depend 
on. Their prices were very high, but we did not care 
so much for that, provided we got pure stock. Some 
time ago I sent for two roots of Lady Alexander Duff, 
supposed to be the best Paeony on earth. They were 
five dollars a root. I watched them grow, and had my 
friends look at those plants which w^ere to surprise us 
with the grandeur of their bloom. When the flowers 
opened we looked on in a daze of expectancy, when lo, 
they showed us some inferior single blossoms, on stems 
about a foot high. They were very short lived, the 
petals falling in two days, along Avitli our expectations. 
They were just fair 10-cent plants. When I ordered, 
I charged them to return the money if they did not 
have the genuine plants. 

What is the lesson from all this ? Patronize Amer- 
ican growers. They are responsible. They keep as good 
kinds as the world produces, and will gladly correct 
mistakes. They do not hide behind an ocean. We 
must go to raising new varieties on a large scale. Our 



196 THE GOLD MINE 

growers have now hundredsj soon to go on the market, 
as fine as we import. 

DIFFICULTIES. 

Where one has several hundred varieties it is hard 
to keep the stakes all right. The weather will wear off 
the names in a few months^ and they mnst be re-marked 
with care. Sometimes the stakes will be broken down. 
Perhaps an inquisitive visitor may pull one up to read 
the name and set it back facing the wrong way. So, 
with the greatest care, mistakes are inevitable. I have 
bought of the leading firms of America and Europe, 
and have never yet found one which did not have 
more or less mixtures. Of course, among the most care- 
ful, the strays would be insignificant. Anything seri- 
ous, of course, is corrected as soon as possible. This 
goes to show that very few of us are infallible. One 
of our western growers was sick, and hired a man to 
plow out his plants, and he, like a ^Svild bull in a china 
shop,'' knocked down most of the stakes, so the plants 
had to be sold as a mixed lot. 

THE PEOPER WAY. 

is to wait till the plants bloom before stock is put on the 
market, unless you have it from some reliable firm. If 
mistakes occur, rectify them as soon as possible. I find 
the best way is to have good, strong stakes, at least two 
feet tall, painted, with the bottoms dipped in coal tar. 
I know one dealer who received a very abusive letter 
from a purchaser who bought two years before, and 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 197 

claimed that in quite a bill they were all spurious, and 
he wished he could find an honest man to deal with. 

The dealer replied he supposed he had received the 
stock from a reliable firm, and was sorry for the dis- 
appointment, lie told his customer he could not afford 
to and would not receive any more such letters, and 
he immediately packed and sent quite a bill of choice 
varieties which he had tested, amounting to twice as 
much as the original bill. Of course confidence was 
established after that, 

^^Tever denounce a man till you have given him a 
chance to rectify mistakes. I have bought certain 
kinds from four different dealers and every one of them 
were different, though the dealers may have been 
honest. You might send to three men for Queen Vic- 
toria and each would give you a different kind, and 
honestly, too, for there are three bearing that name. 

KEEPING THE PAEONIES BACK IN THE SPRING FOK 

SELLING. 

We do not all of us have cold storage, and unless very 
cold, they will start, .if kept moist, at a very low tem- 
perature. I have kept boxes of Paeonies frozen, and 
as soon as the frost was out they began growing. It 
will not do to leave them in the field if we expect to 
sell them, for buds grow rapidly and are very tender, 
and often orders come in when the plants are two feet 
tall. Of course it is not a good time to plant, yet cus- 



198 THE GOLD MINE 

tomers want them as late as May, and are disappointed 
if they cannot get them. 

It is very easy to keep them back. Instead of pack- 
ing them in wet moss, which would bring them forward 
immediately, keep them cool and dry; even if wilted a 
little it will not hurt them. One spring I received a 
lot from France. They came late, and were packed 
dry in an open basket. They were badly wilted. 
Placing them in water a short time revived them. 
They lived and grew, and some of them bloomed the 
same season. Of course it is not necessary to keep them 
very dry. They can be placed on a rack, like cannas 
or dahlias. 

LATE BLOOMING. 

If you wish to continue the flowering season into 
July, take large roots with plenty of buds, and keep 
them partially dry, as noted above, or in cold storage, 
and plant out from the middle of May till the first of 
June. But there may be this trouble about July 
blooms : In Kansas and ^Nebraska the sun gets very 
hot, and delicate flowers might have the sun scald. I 
have seen this sometimes in the case of Madam Chaumy, 
which is a large, late and very beautiful flower; also 
with Richardson's Perfection. Where there is any 
danger, set up stakes and stretch gunny sacking over 
them. It is well to plant those for late flowering in 
groups, so they can be easily protected. 



.] 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 199 

IN PLANTING^ THE CONDITION OF THE BUD MUST BE 
TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT. 

This is very important. The Paeony usually goes 
into a dormant condition about the middle of August. 
I have had excellent success in planting at that time, 
for the buds that form for the next spring are small and 
tough, and they can be handled without danger of in- 
juring them. As a general thing, however, Septem- 
ber is the best time, for if very hot in August it will 
not do to ship. If packed too moist they might rot. 
When planted at this time little rootlets begin to grow 
and the plant is all ready for its spring growth. You 
will notice that those left in the ground and apparently 
dormant are making a fine growth of fibrous rootlets, 
and the longer they are left the more numerous they will 
be. The buds are growing too, and often old roots will 
have a net of rootlets around them, and the buds will be 
much larger and more liable to damage than if planted 
earlier. Of course Paeonies can be planted any time 
from the first of September till the middle of the fol- 
lowing May; but we are speaking of the best time. 
I have often planted strong, left over roots from the 
first to the middle of May, and if the ground is rich 
and in the best condition, have cut good crops of flowers 
from them a few weeks after planting. 

There are various ways of lengthening the flowering 
season. A lady had occasion to dig a cellar, and eight- 
een inches of dirt were thrown over a strong clump. 
She supposed of course they were dead, but two weeks 



200 THE GOLD MINE 

after the rest were up these came on, blooming so much 
later than the rest. It would not do to try this, save 
on strong, well established clumps. I have heard 
that mowing off the tops when they are a few inches 
high would retard them, but never wished to try it. 

This plan works well : Suppose you have a row ten 
tods long. At one end you have no mulching; then 
you put on a little, increasing it till you put it on a 
foot deep at the farther end. The covering should be 
put on when the ground is frozen solid. You will note 
quite a difference in the same row in the time of bloom- 
ing. On the other hand, up in Minnesota, some Pae- 
onies that were not mulched were very late in coming 
up, after a severe winter. What was the trouble ? One 
fall in that state T had occasion to dig up a large clump, 
to transplant for a friend. The previous winter had 
been bare of snow, and very cold. I found that the 
exposed buds had all been killed. But the plants would 
not give up. They had absolutely formed new buds, 
and of course that took time. Though as far north as 
Manitoba they come out all right with just a snow 
mulching, yet it is much safer to put on a covering, 
because some seasons the snow may be light. When 
I can do so I mulch in this latitude. It is not neces- 
sary for root protection, and yet a good coat of manure 
pays. Many are at the trouble of using liquid manure ; 
but if you have plenty on the ground, every rain will do 
the work for you, and if it is dry, irrigation will serve 
the same purpose. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 201 



NON-BLOOMING PAEONIES. 



The following is such a characteristic letter that I 
insert it here. It is a sample of the scores of inquiries 
that come to me along the same line: 

^'Mr. Harrison : — What is the matter with my Paeo- 
nies ? They will not bloom. I surely paid enough for 
them, — a dollar for six. I have had them five years, 
and. only one bloom all this time, and that a little, infe- 
rior thing. I bought them for different kinds, but 
from the looks of the foliage I believe they are all one 
kind, and I guess they are afraid to bloom, because of 
the deception. The most aggravating thing is, my 
neiglibor has some of the most beautiful ones I ever 
saw. They are loaded with the choicest flowers every 
season. I have had manure spaded around mine, and 
have mulched them in winter, with no result save great 
clumps of leaves. What shall I do, and what is the 
trouble V 

ANSWER. 

"My Dear Woman : — I am afraid you have been pat- 
ronizing the 'bargain counter.' If you paid only one 
dollar for six plants, you could not expect to get good 
ones. You have what you bought, a cheap lot. What 
will you do with them ? Dig them up and throw them 
away. Be sure you dig deep enough to get out all the 
roots so you will not hear from them again. You 
have probably been insisting that a "piny was a piny,'' 
and that was all there was of it. l^ow you see your 
mistake. There are thoroughbreds in flowers as well 



202 THE GOLD MINE 

as in cattle. A $15 scrub cow bears no comparison with 
a choice, thoroughbred Jersey, which costs ten times as 
much. 

"Think what economy there would have been in start- 
ing right. Had you bought one glorious Festiva Maxi- 
ma with your dollar you would have had blooms worth 
while, and fifteen or twenty good roots by this time. 
You might have bought the beautiful I'Esperence or 
Andre Laures for 50 cents each, and had early and late 
blooms, and a wholesale lot of them. Your experience 
was worth all you paid for your worthless roots, and 
remember there are many dealers who keep just that 
kind of stock for just such customers. It pays to get 
the best. We have several that cost $2.50 a root, whole- 
sale, in England, and some that cost $5 a root; but it 
pays.'' 

Is it not strange, that in fitting up a home, one is so 
lavish on the furnishings and so parsimonious on the 
outside adornment ? I have known a man with large 
and beautiful grounds and a home that cost thousands, 
to throw up his hands in horror at having to pay $40 
for choice trees, shrubs and flowers for the lawn. You 
build a costly house, and the moment you enter it, it 
begins to depreciate in value. You fill your yard with 
choice things, and they begin to increase. There is a 
gold mine there. Work it, and you will be rich in the 
beauty it gives. Don't be content with a single flower. 
Get masses of them. 

I look out on thousands of glorious columbines, ming- 
ling their beauty ; hundreds of the oriental poppies, that 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 203 

blaze in their splendor ; a liost of gaillardias, that are 
always in bloom, from June till ITovember ; and there 
are 5,000 phloxes vieing with each other. Why not 
be generous with yourself out of doors as well as in the 
house ? If you were furnishing a new home, you would 
not go to a second hand store and get old rag carpets be- 
cause they were cheap, and rickety chairs and other 
furniture, with a lot of old bedsteads. 

In fixing up your front yard, why not have the best, 
and plenty of it? A 25 cent Paeony does not match 
that fine parlor set, and a lone flower or two will look 
cheap compared with the $50 rug. It is much better 
to put less in the house, and more on the outside, where 
it will grow in value, while the house and everything 
in it begins to deteriorate as soon as you enter it. 

CUT FLOWERS. 

More and more choice flowers are growing in favor. 
It is amazing how great the demand is for roses, carna- 
tions, lilies and others. The Paeony stands among the 
best. Properly handled, it keeps a long time. They 
should be cut in the evening, just as the buds begin to 
open. Use a long stem. Strip off the lower leaves and 
put the stems in water over night. They absorb mois- 
ture enough to feed the flowers and keep them from wilt- 
ing. These are carefully packed in a box and sent to 
their destination. If there are too many in the box 
and the flowers are wet they will heat in a few hours. 
In wet weather it is hard to get the remaining blooms 
and leaves dry enough to ship any distance. We have 



204 THE GOLD MINE 

found the safest way is to put moss and oiled paper 
around bundles of twenty-five, packing them as care- 
fully as possible, and leaving the box a little open. 
When the flowers reach their destination they are put 
in cold storage, where they are kept dormant till needed. 
White flowers are much used for weddings and funerals. 
When Mark Hanna's youngest daughter was married 
the house was most beautifully decorated with white 
Paeonies. There is a great difference in the keeping 
qualities of these flowers. The single ones are much 
admired while growing in the garden, but they are much 
more short-lived than the large double ones. Then 
there are some that grow old gracefully, like La Tulipe, 
Baroness and Festiva Maxima. Others are very dilapi- 
dated and ugly in their, dotage. Richardson's Rubra 
Superba and Tecumseh are fine keepers. So is Grand- 
iflora Rubra. The former can be kept in cold storage 
a long time. 

Usually the first flowers of a plant are the best. If 
you wait for some to bloom, and then cut the buds of 
those that follow, you do not get as good specimens. If 
you are shipping, watch them closely, and the first har- 
vest will prove to be the best. 

This is the most popular of all the flowers for Decora- 
tion Day. Some seasons they are then in their full 
glory. There is much call in our northern cities for 
those raised further south. In most of our northern 
states early bloomers can be secured. L'Esperence, a 
lovely, fragrant, French pink, is generally on time with 
great masses of bloom. Florists should especially draw 




By Courtesy of W. A. Peterson^ Chicago. 



^ 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 207 

the attention of their customers to these flowers for 
decoration, and create a demand by giving their names 
and characteristics. I know of one florist who secured 
a fine lot from Europe, but lost their names, and when 
he went to sell them he called them ^^pinys," which of 
course recalled the rank odors of childhood. 

Let the florist keep the finest. What rose can put 
the Solftare to blush, or shame the Thorbeckii, with its 
cinnamon fragrance, its sumptuous beauty, grand in 
size, with its rich coloring varnished into its petals? 

CUTTING FROM NEWLY PLANTED ROOTS. 

Where you have strong roots, planted in the fall in 
very rich ground, on some varieties there will be quite 
a crop of flowers. Some growers carefully nip off all 
the buds the first year, thinking it will exhaust the 
plant. Others will cut them close. We are to remem- 
ber, however, that it is impossible for a plant to do its 
best the first season. It takes three and sometimes 
four years for some varieties to show what they can do. 
I often receive pitiful letters from ladies who are so 
disappointed that their Paeonies have not done better, 
when they had been planted but a few months. One 
lady, hearing this Manual was to be published, hastened 
to order it in the hope that it would throw some light 
on her trouble. Inquiring what that was, we found 
she had planted some Paeonies a few months before and 
the foliage was not as rank, or the flowers as large, as 
those of her neighbors. An excellent remedy in such 
cases is to wait. 



208 THE GOLD MINE 

Beivare of cutting your flowers too close. I have 
known plants to be killed by cutting off every flower 
stem with all the leaves, and others sadly injured. 
Don't be too greedy. Always leave some foliage to go 
with the plant through July and August. 

PAEONIES AND INSECTS. 

It is said truly that these plants have the fewest in- 
sect enemies and diseases of any of our flowers. Yet 
complaints come in regarding ants. These often cover 
the bud, and sometimes, it is said, injure the flower. 
What is the reason for this ? I once forced some Paeo- 
nies, and had a chance to watch them closely. I found 
the buds exuded small drops of purest honey. Tasting 
it, I could not tell the difference between it and the 
genuine article. After that I noticed that ants and 
bees and all sweet-loving insects were very busy in 
blooming time. Perhaps it is not generally known that 
a field of Paeonies is one of the finest of all bee pastures, 
and for weeks the air is filled with the hum and buzz 
of honey gatherers. This honey is what the ants are 
after. They are in evidence mostly before the buds 
open. Sometimes they invade the flower for the nec- 
tar hidden there. The bee is busy then mixing the pol- 
len, so that we can have a larger variety. One remedy 
is to have more flowers, so the insects will not concen- 
trate on the lonely few. Those who grow them in quan- 
tities are never troubled. Another remedy is to put 
an old saucer at the base of your plant, with syrup mix- 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 209 

cd with a solution of arsenic. But as this is hardly 
fair for the bees; you had better try the first remedy. 
Perhaj)s in time people will learn to plant in masses. 
Have a few choice ones ; and then you can always get 
cheap ones that will flower, too, for $6 to $10 per hun- 
dred. FloAvers need company. They are social things. 

DISEASES. 

While remarkable for robustness and health, yet 
sometimes when it is very w^et, the foliage will rust 
badly. Tljis Avas the case in ISTebraska in 1903. The 
remedy is to spray with Bordeaux Mixture. I did not 
do this. It is only a transient affair, and the next 
spring and summer I never saw more vigorous foliage. 

Recently there has come to us an account of what is 
called the "drooping disease.'' A white mold forms on 
lihe diseased stem and clings to the root over winter. 
The remedy is to remove the stems and the earth and 
put fresh earth around the plant. Lime would prob- 
ably be of assistance. We know nothing of this in the 
west. 

THE FIVE POINTS OF EXCELLENCE. 

A first-class Paeony should be: First, symmetrical 
and beautiful in form; second, fragrant; third, a good 
keeper as a flower ; fourth, a prolific and ready bloomer ; 
fifth, the plant, to be profitable, must be vigorous, and 
propagate readily. We have many that score well "on 
all these points. 



210 THE GOLD MINE 

MISSION OF THE TOPS. 

It is a wise provision of I^ature that the tops should 
fall down and shelter the roots and buds in winter. 
They make a good covering in the absence of other 
mulching. If they grow in the open the snow naturally 
drifts iuj detained by the fallen tops, and so you have 
a snow bank for additional protection, and also spring 
irrigation when the snow thaws. Yet in a visit to one 
of the finest Omaha cemeteries I found they mowed 
off the tops, to have the surface uniform, and to pre- 
vent the snow drifts, and the plants were blooming 
beautifully. This might do in our present cycle of wet 
seasons, but when years of consecutive drouth return, 
it would be better to leave the tops. 

FREAKS. 

Though generally sedate, yet this flower is sometimes 
erratic. I just received a severe censure from a man 
because his Rubra Triumphans, blooming a few months 
after planting, came singly instead of double. He 
bought of me because he thought I would be reliable, 
and he didn't buy any single Paeonies, and wanted the 
wrong righted. Now this flower, as well as many oth- 
ers, is ambitious to show bloom as soon as possible, and 
not having strength to produce a great, double flower, 
gives a single one. Victoria Tricolor will bloom any- 
way. If the root is small and out but a few months 
it is bound to bloom. That seems to be its mission. 
But it always cuts the coat according to the cloth. If 




ICelway^s Paeonibs. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 213 

it has material to make a great, double flower, it will 
gladly make it. If, however, it is short of capital, it 
will do the best it can. Seedlings will often bloom single 
for years, and then turn double. We have the record 
of one that blossomed single for twenty years, and then 
bloomed double. It is not wise to discard seedlings till 
fully tested. Absolutely the finest crimson I ever saw 
was found in a lot of rejected seedlings. After a hard 
freeze in spring some flowers will refuse to bloom at 
all, and others, damaged in the bud, may have inferior 
blossoms. Others, like Floral Treasure, will do their 
very best after the worst abuse. Very often the last, 
out of season blooms of our best double ones will be 
little, inferior, single flowers. 

Do not sit in harsh judgment on flowers at their first 
blooming. You can tell little about them except their 
color. A white one should not be red or crimson. As 
to form and size, suspend judgment. There is such a 
confusion in names. You buy a genuine Humei, an 
M. Valliant and a Thorbeckii, and vou have one and 
the same flower, yet one of our very finest. You get 
Bryant's Humei, Andre Laures, Fragrans, Fragrant 
Rose and Late Rose, and if you don't get the same thing 
every time, you come very near it, and all the parties 
honest in it, too. Our Paeony society is very busy 
getting the tangle out of all this confusion. 

AVILL ANYTHING KILL PAEONIES ? 

They are called hardy as paving stones and as tough 
as Scotch thistles. Yes, it can be done if you know 



214 THE GOLD MINE 

how. Plant them in low, wet ground, where the water 
can stand on them, and you will succeed. Put them 
in wet, undrained soil. Let the snow drift on them 
before the ground freezes, and then it can be done. I 
have known some in grass and weeds during three years 
of consecutive! drouth to be absolutely dried out and 
killed. It has been done by driving over them or 
tramping on them till the earth is like a brick bat. But 
they will stand all that any plant can and offer patient 
and quiet resistance as long as possible, and let go of 
life reluctantly. 

The spring of 1903 gave them the hardest test I ever 
knew, and showed the different degrees of hardiness. 
April had been prematurely warm. There was a pros- 
pect of very early blooming. The stalks were some of 
them two feet tall and the buds were swelling rapidly. 
Then on the night of the 29th there came a genuine, 
wintry, sleet storm, and the plants in that tender condi- 
tion were frozen solid in a coat of ice for two days. 
When they thawed out they all looked tired, drooping 
and water soaked ; but to our surprise a few days after 
they stood erect and went right on with their prepara- 
tion for blooming as though nothing had happened. 
But I noticed that some varieties on low ground took 
such treatment to heart. After the freeze came floods. 
Fifteen inches of rain fell in May. Grround usually 
well drained became a quagmire. Some kinds could 
not endure it. The Duke of Wellington could survive 
Waterloo, but not such treatment. Why the name of 
a grim, old warrior should be given to such a flower I 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 215 

Cannot understand. Little, delicate Purity was too 
tender for such a world. Drop White dropped white, 
and everything else. The loss was not heavy, — ^just 
enough to show that they could he killed. 

Right heside the tender ones were La Tulipe, Thor- 
heckii, Alexander Dumas, Model of Perfection, Bar- 
oness Schroder and fifty other sorts. The main planta- 
tion was in a rich, well-drained valley, but the railroad 
built a bridge, which proved to be a dam, and this gave 
way, flooding the field four feet deep. So you see what 
they had to go through. Sleet storm when near bloom- 
ing, a flood and three terrible hail storms, and yet there 
was no loss of plants in that field, but a good crop of 
flowers. 

A GOOD LIST FOR BEGINNERS. 

We often receive letters asking for advice on the 
best kind to plant, something hardy and vigorous, that 
will increase rapidly and that will bloom freely. Vic- 
toria Tricolor, Reine Victoria, Victoria Modesta, Thor- 
beckii or Genuine Humei, I'Esperence, Edulis Superba, 
Rubra Triumphans, James Vick, Andre Laures, Late 
Rose, Grandiflora Alba, Compte de IsTantueL These 
should be had at quite reasonable rates ; good, strong 
roots. One need not be entirely confined to this list 
There may be an abundance of others as good. 

WHAT OF THE FUTURE IN PAEONY GROWING ? 

Evidently the cheaper sorts will remain at about the 
same price, for the number will be swelled by rejected 



216 THE GOLD MINE 

new ones. The standard varieties will remain about 
as thej are, with a slight advance. The new or rare 
sorts of especial merit will keep up at the present high 
rate, or even advance, for thousands of people will be 
found who will have the very best, and the high priced 
ones will be as sure an investment as a poor man can 
make. An invalid lady can engage with success in this 
industry. If you go into carnations or roses you will 
need costly green houses. If you wish to raise Paeo- 
nies, which will be just as profitable, the directions in 
this book will give you just as good a chance as the 
millionaire has. There is probably no industry so im- 
portant and profitable that can be carried on with such 
little expense as this. You may be poor, with only 
a little home and a small garden. You have a baby 
girl, and you look forward to the time when she will 
enter on womanhood, and shudder as you think she 
will have nothing with which to begin life. Buy a 
genuine Baroness Schroder, or Lady Alexander Duff, 
or Marguerite Gerard; one good, strong root, and let 
it grow, and take care of it. One thousand in ten years. 
How many in twenty years ? A thousand multiplied 
by a thousand. You would in fifteen years have enough 
to retire on. This is not counting chickens before they 
are hatched. There are no broken or addled eggs 
among them, and they will grow for the poor man as 
well as the rich. ^^The business may be overdone in 
twenty years;" then all the flower business will be 
done for, and there will be no more call for carnations 
or roses. Festiva Maxima for more than half a cen- 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 217 

turj has been on the market, and the market is hun- 
gry yet, and will be. If you are a young man and have 
a little ground, and want to insure your life, buy a 
Paeony, the best you can hear of, or take what you 
would require for your first payment and purchase sev- 
eral, and they w^ill take as good care of you as the 
insurance companies could. These companies live on 
lapses, and those securities don't lapse. Should you 
die, you are sure of what you paid in, with compound 
growth, which means compound interest. 

The English say this is the flower for the "millions 
and the millionaire.'' I think they would grow better 
for the poor man than for the rich, for he would regard 
his bed of choice plants as his gold mine, and would 
take the best of care of it. It takes years to learn a 
trade and learn it well, a trade that will lay up money 
for old age. It takes a good deal of cash to go into 
business which will bring in adequate returns. But it 
takes but little time, or cash either, to get a few of 
these choice plants, and then love them and care for 
them. A little capital invested in this way can be kept 
sacred for the future, and insure comfort in old age. 
There are no doubtful and uncertain board of trade com- 
plications about the business. Set a little aside, and 
how much incidental enjoyment you would reap from 
it. Those worshipful flowers in queenly garments sa- 
luting jow, and they are all your own, and their num- 
bers increasing as the years go by; an income from the 



218 THE GOLD MINE 

blossoms and a greater income in the way of princely 
enjoyment. And though poor and hard working, your 
flowers will treat you as well as if you were rolling in 
wealth, swelling with pride and riding in an automobile. 



1 



CHAPTEK XVII. 

A LIST OF SOME OF THE LEADING SORTS. 

In giving this list we have aimed to give some out of 
the 2,000 named, so the reader can have an idea of 
the marvelous variety in this great family. The fra- 
grant ones have not all been marked fragrant. We 
have not always given the names of the originators. 
Most of these we have tested ourselves ; others we have 
taken from leading French, English and American cata- 
logues. 

It may not be satisfactory to the connoiseur — prob- 
ably will not. The idea of this book is to introduce this 
flower to the masses. 

I confess we have given some prominence to western 
productions, because their merits have not hitherto been 
brought to light. Raising them for years, side by side 
with imported ones, we feel they should have a fuller 
recognition. All honor to Father Terry, now 78 years 
old, who, in a quiet, patient w^ay, for over 30 years, has 
been hard at work, giving us the best results of his 
persistence and skill, from whicli, as yet, he has reaped 
but little benefit. 

DESCEIPTION or OVER 200 CHOICE KINDS. 

Admiral Dewey — Guard petals deep rose, with cen- 
ter of pink and cream. 



220 THE GOLD MINE 

Alice — Blush rose, changing to white, center with 
straw shadings ; fine flower. 

Agnese Mary Kelway — Guard petals of light rose, 
yellow petaloids. 

Andre Laures — Perfect rose in form and fragrance. 

Alba Sulphurea — Fine white with sulphur center. 

Alexander Dumas — Mixed pink, double center, very 
double, quite fragrant. This is every way satisfactory, 
scoring the fine points readily. 

Baroness Schroder — In England this is called flesh- 
colored ; in Massachusetts it is sometimes grayish 
white; in Nebraska it is the purest, softest white. In 
the central petals there is the faintest lingering of gold- 
en tints. It is as sweet as the rose, and in form and 
grace of outline surpasses any of the rose family. 
Withal, it is so fluffy, sprite-like and ethereal, it seems 
as if it might float away. It is vigorous, and a ready 
bloomer. After it had grown two years I cut one root 
into eight, and six of these bloomed the next spring. 
They are very scarce, and spurious kinds are put on the 
market. This exquisitely beautiful flower scores the 
five points easily. 

Beauty's Queen — Is a large white ; outer petals blush 
rose. 

Bunch of Perfume — Pull double, vivid rose, very 
sweetly scented. This does not do as well in the west, 
probably, as in England. 

Bioni — Guard petals light blush, with thread-like 
petals ; not as vigorous as we could wish, though a love- 
ly flower. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 221 

Bicolor — Outer petals white, with rose tinge; cream 
center, fringed ; crimson blotch on center petals. 

Belle Hongh — Large flower, light crimson, late and 
fine. 

Bertha — Brilliant crimson, full double and late; a 
very satisfactory flower. 

Belle of Crescent — Bright rose, free bloomer, large 
double, very showy. 

Belle of York — Large, flesh-colored, a strong, robust 
flower, new. 

Baron James de Rothschild — Semi-double pink. 

Bridesmaid — Fine, semi-double, fragrant, white. 

Blushing Maid — One of RosenfiekFs latest, fine blush 
and sweetly perfumed; not yet fully tested. 

Canisto — A large lovely flower, light flesh in color, 
fading to white ; fragrant. 

Carnation — Bright crimson outside petals, broad in- 
side finely fringed, very fine. Grand, late bloomer. 
Very striking in appearance. 

Clara Barton — This is one of the earliest. It is of 
purest white, like the spirit of its namesake. Its petals 
are delicate and almost transparent in their tissue-like 
form, not quite full double, but exceedingly attractive. 

Crimson Queen — Both petals and petaloids are of the 
same deep color. It is finely fringed, but the whole 
flower is of that solid, intense coloring. 

Commodore Dewey — Is deep, dark rose, of intense 
color. It is a large and attractive flower, one of our 
finest new ones. 



222 THE GOLD MINE 

Col. Wilder — Is bright rose, very double, blooming 
in clusters. 

Compte de Paris — A vigorous and imposing plant. 
Flower on strong stem. Guard petals pink. Yel- 
low center. A mingling of pink, cream and gold witli a 
dasli of red. 

Charlemange — Very large flowers, double;, flesli white 
center, tinted lilac and chamois. This does not always 
sustain its reputation, being apparently sensitive to soil 
and climate. 

Compte de ^antuil — Blush white, center tinged yel- 
low. Having tested this for years I can commend it 
for beauty of bloom and vigor of plant. 

Chrysanthemefolia — Rosy white guards, with a deli- 
cate chrysanthemum folded in the center. 

Comptesse de Montalivet — Flesh, fading to white. 
Fragrant. 

Cardinal Richelieu — Solid red, no stamens, large 
guard, very fragrant. 

Carnea Elegans — Large, variegated pink, rather light 
color, with rose giiard petals. A strong plant. 

Duke of Devonshire — A very large flower of striking 
appearance, crimson in color, with satiny finish. One 
of Ivelway's best. 

Delicatissimo — Very beautiful, light brilliant crim- 
son. 

Due de Wellington — Soft white, with pale, creamy 
white center. Very lovely, fine form. Plant not 
strong and vigorous. 

Delacheii — Fine, dark crimson. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 223 

Drop White — Pure white, splashed with crimson, 
fragrant and full double. 

Double Decker — Is a fragrant and beautiful two- 
story flower, named Pallas by Terry, the originator. 
First it appears single; in a day or two another blos- 
som sits in the lap of the first — a charming and unique 
flower. 

Duchess of Orleans — Pale rose, with salmon center. 

Defiance — Brilliant crimson, tall and fine. Single. 

Dr. Lindley — Large flower, tall and strong. Dark 
crimson. 

Ella Adams — Light crimson. Very attractive. 

Etta — Bright, satiny, light rose. Strong grower, 
late bloomer. 

Euphemia — Flesh colored, Avith crimson blotches. 

Excelsior — Dark crimson, large, fine, symmetrical 
flower, very striking in ap}3earance. 

Esther — Outside petals deep rose, inside white, rose 
tinted, a full bloomer. 

Edulis Superba — One of the standard varieties. 
Shell pink, large, Avell formed, fragrant flower, and a 
very rapid multiplier. 

Emperor of Russia — A magnificent, deep crimson. 
Very handsome. 

Edulis Plena, or Albiflora Plena — White. 

Eclatante — Is deep rose. 

Fragrans — There are three that bear this name, one 
named by Kelway, a light purple ; another is solid 
pink, with rather full petaloids, all the same color, and 



224 THE GOLD MINE 

jot another, which is the late rose Paeony, nearly, if 
not quite, identical with Andre Lanres. 

Francoise Ortegal — A striking French crimson. 
One of the popular old sorts. 

Fulgida — Is another purplish crimson. 

Formosa Alba — White, with cream center. Very 
fragrant, and one of our fine ones. 

Faust — Is rosy white, large and full double. An 
exceedingly attractive flower. 

Festiva Maxima — Is the queen of all. Almost with- 
out exception it is placed at the head of the list. It 
has every point of excellence. The plant is one of the 
most robust. You can usually tell the genuine by the 
shape of the large leaves. This, we understand, was 
introduced from Belgium in 1835, and all this time it 
has been propagated, and it is impossible to supply the 
demand. The Joliet Paeony farm, one of the largest 
in the world, wholesales them at $1.00 each, or $60 per 
100. I am informed that the flowers bring $2.00 per 
dozen, wholesale, in Chicago. The floAver combines 
great size with wondrous beauty. I have raised them 
seven inches across, a glorious form of purest white, 
flecked here and there with crimson, which seems to 
bring out the white in clearer relief. This flower seems 
to have reached the ultimate, beyond which we cannot 
go. It is so full double it seldom, if ever, produces 
seed, l^ature all along the line seems intent on repro- 
duction, but in a case like this she seems to say, ^^I can 
go no further.'' This is a good pattern to work by. 
Feed this grand flower. Let it do its best. And the 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 225 

resplendent form of beantj seems to say, "Beat this if 
you can.'' Men have tried for seventy years, yet we 
will keep on trying. 

Festiva — Is fragrant, pure Avhite, globular in form. 
A beautiful flower. 

Floral Treasure — This is one of Rosenfield's, and it 
reveals the fact that we need not always go to Europe 
for choice ones. It was first put on the market for 
$12.00 per 100, but as soon as people found out its mer- 
its it shot up to $50.00 per 100, and the supply was 
short. It is a splendid hemisphere of fragrant loveli- 
ness, a good keeper, and has a long, strong stem to up- 
hold the splendid bloom, which will sometimes be nearly 
seven inches across. 

Fairy Queen — Is one of Terry's. Outside petals 
broad, inside fringed, full double, large flower, regarded 
by Mr. Terry as one of his best. 

Fragrantissime— Beautiful white; very fragrant. 

Grandure — A very fine, large, semidouble lilac rose, 
fragrant. We have had this several years. It has pe- 
culiar tints and shadings, which add materially to the 
attractions of a general collection. 

Grizzel Muir — This is among Kelway's best. Pure 
white, good fonn and very fragrant. We are well 
pleased with it. 

Grandiflora — There are several wearing this name, 
of different colors. The most striking among them is a 
late, immense, full double flower, blush in color, very 
solid and compact, with a stem not strong enough to 
hold the immense weight of beauty. These should be 



226 THE GOLD MINE 

planted in a mass and should be sheltered with a screen 
from the burning sun. This is probably one of Richard- 
son's 

Glori de Doual — Deep crimson, semi-double. 

General Jacqueminot — Color like the Jack Rose. 
Large flower, fragrant and a good keeper. 

General Grant — One of Terry's fine ones. An im- 
mense flower of dazzling red. The only trouble is it 
does not furnish stem strong enough for the flower. 

General Sherman — Another of Terry's. A strong, 
vigorous grower, rose color, tinged with purple. Late 
bloomer. 

Grover Cleveland (Tecumseh) — This in another of 
Terry's. It is a little freaky. One year it was de- 
scribed as follows : ^Tt is a system of deep colored, rich 
flowers, packed and pressed together into a shapely ball 
of dazzling red, the solidest of alL You could almost 
stone a dog with it. It is one of the best keepers we 
have." Cut while the bud is opening, it retains its 
beauty a long time. Sometimes it is more open in form, 
but always a splendid flower. Another season it will 
open with a broader bloom^ but whatever form it as- 
sumes, it is fine. 

Grandiflora Carnea Plena — This is one of our best, 
and hard to describe. It has pink guard petals, with a 
mingling of many tints in the center. It is fragrant ; 
globular and compact in form. It gives a long suces- 
sion of bloom, and the flowers are fine keepers. The 
early ones grow lighter with age, and new ones come on, 
clothed in their showy tints, so that a single row gives 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 227 

such a variety of shadings that one might think there 
were several kinds in one fine blend of loveliness. 

Golden Harvest — Rosenfield's. The more you see 
of this the better you like it. It is a free bloomer. 
You can depend on flowers the first spring after plant- 
ing, even in six weeks after spring planting. At that 
stage of development it shows a center of pure gold. 
The next year it shows the same, only more. In the 
center is a miniature, snowy white flower, like a con- 
densed Festiva Maxima, with dashes of carmine. The 
next year the whole' plant seems to break from all ante- 
cedents and give you a wild, rollicking prodigality of 
beauty, in blush and white, in cream and gold. The 
flowers are large and almost smother the plant, so great 
is their profusion. The bloom may not keej) as long as 
some others, yet it will score all the points, as it is very 
fragrant Avithal. This and Floral Treasure are Rosen- 
field's advance guard. He has fifty to one hundred 
more in the procession, and Ave can take oft" our hats 
as they pass by and cheer for beauty and ISTebraska. 

Golden Wedding — We have long been looking for a 
pure golden flower, and here we have it. It is fragrant, 
semi-double, with extremely delicate bloom, and a very 
attractive flower. It is a very vigorous plant. Singles 
and semi-doubles do not keep as long as full doubles. 
This is the only drawback to this lovely flower. 

General Cavignac — Yery fragrant, rose pink, of solid 
color, compact head, imbricated with a deeper shade, 
like a carnation. 

General Lawton (Pleas) — Bright rose pink, edged 



228 THE GOLD MINE 

with white, often triple headed, which gives it a mas- 
sive appearance. It is very robust, flowers large and 
sl'ghtly fragrant. 

Globosa Grandiflora — Large, globe-shaped, white and 
very fragrant. 

Grandiflora Rosea — Is a host in itself. The enter 
and center petals are red. It is slightly fragrant. It 
is a very prolific bloomer, robust and vigorous. The 
flowers turn lighter in a few days, and remain on the 
stem a long time. Looking at the bed you would say 
there were several kinds. In this respect it is much 
like the "Seven Sisters'' among the roses. 

Grandiflora Alba — There are several kinds that bear 
this name, but the best is a strong, vigorous plant, with 
a good stem, and a large, fragrant flower. Pink guard 
petals, sulphur center, splashed often with crimson, the 
whole changing to snowy white in a short time. It is a 
good keeper and a prolific bloomer. These have been 
sold by the thousands, innocently too, by some of the 
best firms, for Festiva Maxima, which in full bloom 
they closely resemble. 

Humea Alba — A very fine and rare variety. It has 
the beautiful blush of the morning. The guard petals 
are light pink. The center has a thread like collar 
of light flesh petals. It has a delicious fragrance. 
There are two Paeonies which bear this name. 

Humei Carnea — There has been an infinite amount 
of confusion regarding this Paeony. At least six kinds 
have been sent out under this name. Many of our lead- 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 229 

ing growers are at fault, and some writers also. Andre 
Laures has been sent out for it, and other varieties en- 
tirely at variance, and a recent work on Bulbs is 
at fault. Yet it is one of the most distinct types of 
all. It has a foliage peculiar to itself. The color is a 
rose pink. The petals look as if the color was var- 
nished into them. It is a large, compact, solid, glori- 
ous flower, of symmetrical form and cinnamon scented. 
It ranks among the best, and scores the full five points. 
This is often confounded with the large M. Valliant. 
It should probably be called Thorbeckii. 

Ilalseus — Is a French white. It first opens with a 
pinkish flush, gradually growing lighter. 

Hesperides — Is white, with flesh guard petals. 

Henry Demay — Is a striking and beautiful flower. 
Light crimson, fine form and symmetrical. 

Hercules — Terry's. Is tall, light rose, tipped white. 

Herman — Terry's. Is a tall, strong grower. Petals 
broad. Pale, purplish rose, inside straw-tinted. 

Irma — Soft rose, flesh tinted. I secured this from 
France, and am well pleased with it. 

Ilion — Has white guard petals, and also narrow white 
center ones. 

Insignis — Described in French catalogue as a grand 
flower, of brilliant carmine. 

Jeanne d'Arc — Had a slight mention in former bul- 
letin. We now hasten to do her justice. Some plants 
do best when the stools have had three or four years 
in which to become established. Then they burst forth 
in a very splendor of loveliness. Thus did our Jeanne. 



230 THE GOLD MINE 

The flower opens light pink, but gTadually grows white 
as the soul of the war maiden. The center of the flow- 
er rises like a crown, and the pure whiteness seems 
sprinkled with drops of blood, symbolic of the cruel- 
death she suffered. It was a delight to visit those fra- 
grant and lovely flowers and linger over them and drink 
in their sweetness. 

Jennie- Lind — Has suddenly sprung into prominence 
and value. Clear, rose pink, long stem, fragrant and 
good keeper. 

Jugurtha — Is a dwarf, bright pink. 

James Kelway — V e r y fine, white, beautifully 
scented. 

Joan Seaton — Double, bright cherry rose, each petal 
edged with lighter color. A rose-shaped flower, show- 
ing anthers among the petals. 

Juno — Is fiery, flashing crimson. 

Jupiter — Is large, full double crimson, tipped light. 

Kelway's Queen — Light pink, a most delicate and 
lovely sort. Very fragTant. 

Kitty Green — Kosy lavender, large flower. Fra- 
grant. 

La Reine — Terry's. Delicate blush, changing to 
snowy, white. Center light yellow, sometimes touched 
with crimson. We are well pleased with this fine, fra- 
grant flower. 

Lucretia^ — Light blush, good size, shapely, with a 
sort of twilight lingering in its petals. 

Lady Curzon — We are favorably impressed with this 
flower. White guard petals, with cream colored inner 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 231 

petals, a faint blush permeating the whole flower at 
first. It is of good size, and delicately perfumed. 
Every way w^orthy of the lady whose name it bears. 

Lady Alexander Duff — This flower has been spoken 
of as the very queen of the whole family. It is de- 
scribed by Kelway as lovely French white. One of 
the grandest in existence; tall, robust and highly per- 
fumed. The roots of this flower are worth $10 each 
and hard to get at that. 

Lady Bramwell — Is silvery rose. A most charming 
flower, perfect in form, compact, symmetrical and ex- 
ceedinfflv fraorant. It is one of our fine ones. It wears 
well on a long acquaintance. There are hardly enough 
to keep up with the demand. 

Lady Beresford — Described as a large-flowered va- 
riety of soft lush shade, delicate and beautiful. The 
petals are tipped in carmine. I sent for two of these. 
One was an inferior, little, single one, and the other 
a small pink. 

Lyde — Is rose color, with pink center. 

La Coquette — Is( on the diamond list of Paillet, of 
France. Center and guard petals pink, balance salmon. 
A fine, large flower and a good keeper. 

La Tulipe — I know of no flower so attractive in the 
bud as this. First a ball interlaced with green, red 
and light. As it grows, these interlacings are more 
pronounced. There is no bloom whose unfoldings you 
watch with greater interest. Men, women and children 
gather around it in delight. Finally it opens, a solid 
ball of softest blush, with streaks of carmine. There it 



232 THE GOLD MINE 

sits in all its beauty, a glorious flower in a chalice of 
veined marble, emitting a delightful perfume. Gradu- 
ally it fades to purest white, looking much like Festiva 
Maxima. It is a splendid keeper and scores the five 
points to perfection. 

L'Esperence — Said to be almost, if not quite, iden- 
tical with Duchess de IN'emours. This is an excellent 
variety. In the first place it is a pink rose in form and 
fragrance. It is especially valuable in the northern 
states, as it is a strong, hardy and robust plant, and 
often is on time for Decoration Day. It is a good 
keeper. It is on the diamond list of the leading French 
dealers. It scores the five points. 

Limosel — Very bright, clear lilac rose. A large flow- 
er, full double, with broad guard petals and narrower 
ones in the center. Very fragrant. Having had these 
for several years they stand up well to the description. 

Louis Van Houtie — Is a splendid, rich crimson, a 
magnificent bloomer. It stands well at the front. 

Morning Star — Is one of the most dainty of the whole 
family. Though exceedingly delicate looking, the plant 
is hardy. It is well named. Starry rays radiate from 
its heart of gold. 

Mrs. Fletcher — Terry's. Is an attractive flower of 
deep, dark rose color. We have found it very fine. 

' Mrs. Rudd — Outside petals broad and white, inside 
straw color, petals finely fringed. 

Nigra — Is one of the darkest crimson, full double. 

Marie Crousse — Very large, full, globular bloom; 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 233 

soft salmon pink, shaded with glossy lilac, very fresh 
color. 

Marie Stuart — Beautiful anemone-shaped flower, 
with collar of bright clear, pink petals ; center sulphur 
white. 

Madam Chaumy— Is a large, symmetrical, solid 
pink flower, fragrant and very charming. In form 
and color much like Lady Bramwell, only it is much 
later and larger. 

Mme. Camillo Bancel— Described by Ward : Very 
full, enormous, globular flower, color lively blusli lilac 
pink, with center shaded with salmon. 

Madam Geissler— Is light purplish rose, solid color, 
massive and very fragrant. One of Mr. Peterson's fa- 
vorites. 

Marguerite Gerard — Described by Ward : Immense 
flower, with very large, well formed petals ; color clear 
flesh, fading to tender, creamy white. Center creamy 
white, Avith petals occasionally spotted and tipped with 
carmine. Ward & Shaylor place this high on the list. 
It is one of the more recent French productions. 

Modeste Guerin — Large, anemone-shaped flower ; 
color uniform, bright carmine. Very attractive, stand- 
ing well up on the list. 

Mons. Jules Elie— Described by Ward : Very large, 
full, dobular flower, with broad, imbricated petalage. 
Color glossy pink, deepening at the base of the petals ; 
reflex silvery pink ; flower of nice form, and quite fra- 
grant. 



234 THE GOLD MINE 

Mons. Paillet — Probably named from tbe noted 
French florist. It is a very large flower, light pink, 
shading to white, with pond lily fragrance. 

Mons. Rousselon — Guard petals are rosy pink, center 
petals the same color with delicate shadings, slightly 
flaked with carmine — a very distinct and beautiful 
flower. 

Madam d' Vernville — Father Terry goes into raptures 
over this flower. It is well at the head in merit. De- 
scribed by Thurlow as a very valuable new Paeony; 
globular form ; white center petals tipped with carmine ; 
very fragrant, vigorous and floriferous. I was happy 
in securing a quantity of these and shall watch them 
with intense interest. 

Model de Perfection — Described by Peterson : Far 
superior to the sort generally sold under this name. A 
solid, clear pink, with crimpled center, set on large 
guard petals, forming immense globular buds and flow- 
ers on strong stems. Years ago we secured some of 
these from Mr. Peterson. They are eminently satisfac- 
tory. Hardy, full bloomers, fragrant and good keepers. 

Marie Lemoine — The Lemoines are noted florists, 
but their names are a little too numerous. We have 
several among the Lilacs, also among the Philadelphus, 
and here the name is stretched to cover two entirely 
distinct varieties. One fathered by Calot is lovely, 
ivory white, an early bloomer, emitting a delicious fra- 
grance, with a root tangled and twisted, and hard to 
separate. The other, fostered by Crousse, has a large, 
full double bloom ; color sulphur white ; center petals 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 235 

lightly edged with pink. Very late and one of the very 
best. 

Madam Breon — There are two flowers bearing this 
name. One, outer petals rosy pink; pale yellow cen- 
ter, changing to white; and the other is fine, shapely, 
solid crimson. This latter was sent out by T. C Thur- 
low. 

Magnifica — Described by Kelway as delicate pink, 
turning to blush white ; large, full and free. That usu- 
ally sent under this name is nearer red, turning to pink. 

Magnificent — Is a medium sized flower and fragrant. 
It is of the pink, cream and gold order, with drops of 
carmine. Much like Triumph de Paris, only smaller. 

Madonna — Outer petals rose, center creamy chamois. 

Moonbeam — Is one of Kehvay's newer ones. Large, 
white, tufted in the center. 

Mmc. Schmidt — One of Paillet's; is rosy, lightl}' 
tinted white, large flower; does well in Nebraska. 

Marie — Is white, in light rose tints. 

Maxima — Is white, with short petals. 

JSTymph — ]^ew. It opens a single flower, with white 
petals. It has a pond lily fragrance. In the center 
are incurved snow-white petals and these are dotted 
with crimson, making it a most attractive flower. Lat- 
er, the inner petals expand, forming another perfect 
flower sitting in the lap of the first, separated by several 
rows of stamens. It continues in bloom a long time, 
and it is a delight to watch its varying forms of loveli- 
ness. 



236 THE GOLD MINE 

!Noblissima — Is a fine flower of rosy lilac; very at- 
tractive. 

!N^e Plus Ultra^ — Is a fine flower, peach-color, edged 
with white. 

Nivalis — Is pure white. 

Princess Ellen — Opens delicate flesh, changing to 
white ; large flower and a good keeper ; very desirable. 

Princess of Wales — Terry's. Large, white, mot- 
tled with rose; a fine flower. 

Prince of Wales — Terry's. Purple, edged silver, 
large, full double, often in clusters. 

Prince of Wales — Kelway. Soft lilac rose; large 
flower, rather shy bloomer. 

Princess Beatrice — Pink guard petals, inner petals 
yellow and pink ; a fine variety and free bloomer. 

Peter the Great — Is deep, rosy purple. Sunburns 
badly in I^ebraska ; needs shelter. 

Plutarch — A satin crimson, exceedingly brilliant 
and striking, with pond lily fragrance; a very choice 
flower. 

Pulcherima — Light, satiny rose, center blush white. 

Pulcherima Odorata — Shaded pink, with yellow cen- 
ter, and fragrant ; very fine. 

Pottsii — Purple crimson, with thread-like petals; a 
very conspicuous flower and in great demand. 

Pomponia — Fine large, flesh colored blossom fading 
to white. 

Queen Victoria — There are three distinct flowers 
which seem to be wearing this name. One that has been 
raised by Terry for 40 years is described by him dark 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 237 

rose with lighter edges, center straw color, large floAvers. 
Kelway describes his as flesh colored, large, compact 
center, and red blotch in the central petal — a grand 
flower. The other in most common use is identical with 
the Whitleyi, which is blush white with cream center. 

Red Jacket — As several deep crimson, new Paeonies 
have come into the writer's possession, he has named 
them after Indian chiefs. One is King Philip, a tall, 
robust plant ; one is Red Cloud ; one named Shabona ; 
an extremely fine one is Pocahontas ; and a dainty little 
single is called Pappoose. Red Jacket is a finely formed 
flower, deep rich color and very fragrant, which is a 
little unusual in deep crimson. I think it much sur- 
passes both in form and fragrance the new Bunch of 
Perfume. The only drawback is it may be a tardy 
bearer. 

Rubra Triumphans — This is the earliest of the crim- 
son family. It is not quite full double. It has a golden 
center. It is valuable in that it is often on hand for 
Decoration Day. 

Richardson's Rubra Superba — This is one of the 
grandest of the whole race. It is very robust and of 
immense size : as Peterson savs, one of the finest that 
ever happened. It is among the very latest, deep crim- 
son in color, of immense size and firm form. It is very 
valuable as a cut flower. Taken just as the buds swell 
and put in cold storage it will keep for a long time. 

Richardson's Dorchester — Is another very fine one, 
beautiful, soft cream color, with pink tinting, rather 



238 THE GOLD MINE 

dwarf. A beautiful flower. This was taken to England 
and appears in Kelway's list as a $2 fl^ower. 

Sunbeam — 'New; fragrant; radiant silver, ethereally 
beautiful; very striking. 

Sainfoin — Kelway. Described as the most striking 
of all. The flowers full, large and brilliant self rose. 

Snowy Coles — Blush white, with narrow, thread-like 
petals; very sweet. 

Souvenir de la Exposition — Blush outside petals, with 
white, narrow central petals. A fine, large, imposing 
blossom. 

Splendida — Light lilac, edged white. 

Sada Evans — Terry's. Outside petals broad, deli- 
cate rose, inside fringed and straw-colored, the whole 
melting into a beautiful w^hite. 

Stephania — Considered by Terry as one of his finest. 
Pale rose, nearly white ; center pure white with crimson 
stripes. 

The Bride — Is a charming white flower. 

Thomas Meehan — Terry's. Light rose, silver tip- 
ped ; large double flower, worthy of the noble man 
whose name it bears. 

The Amazon — ^ew. If you wish size and show and 
a good deal of it, this is the flower. There is nothing 
refined or delicate about it. It is exceedingly prolific 
and robust, and bears an enormous burden of great, 
rose colored flowers. It is full, free, hearty and gen- 
erous, and a good one for beginners. 

Victor — Terry's. Deep red; a fine, fragrant, solid 
flower, and a good keeper. Very desirable. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 23^ 

Virgo Maria — Pure, snowy white. 

Victoria Tricolor — Is one of the most vigorous and 
prolific bloomers we have. The first year it will put out 
small blooms, according to the material it has. The 
next year they will be larger, and the third year the 
plant will be fairly deluged with bloom. It is also 
fragrant. Though the flower cannot rank among the 
finest, yet it is very desirable. 

Victoria Modesta — Is a very fragrant flower, borne 
on a long, strong stem ; outer petals pink, inner ones 
white. 

Heine Victoria — Is a fragrant pink. These tliree 
Victorias, Avhile not ranking among the very best, yet 
on account of their fragrance and vigor should not be 
omitted. 

Zoe Callot — Is Grandiflora Rosea on a smaller scale. 

Grandiflora Rosea. A fine flower with light pink 
outer and inner petals. 

Zenobia — Is one of Terry's. A full double rosy crim- 
son. 

Zonvon — Is a deep, dark, bright flower from Holland. 

SINGLE PAEONIES. 

These are very beautiful in the bed, but not so desir- 
able as cut flowers. They are not as long-lived, and have 
a tendency to fold their petals at night, yet some of them 
are of marvelous beauty. They are not as popular in 
the west as in the east. I name a few of the leading 
ones from Kelway's list : 



240 THE GOLD MINE 

Bridesmaid. Single white. 

Captain Holford. Clear rose. 

Countess Cadogan. Lovely flesli color. 

Countess of Warwick. Delicate, soft flesh. 

Doris. Bright rose. 

Duchess of Sutherland. Large, flesh pink; a lovely 
flower. 

Earl of Morley. Light purple. 

Earl of Powis. Cherry rose. 

Earl of Onslow. A good purple. 

Flag of Truce. Pure white. 

Flag of War. Deep, blood crimson. 

Ideality. Deep rose; grand. 

Kimberly. A very pretty, rosy pink. 

Lady Helen Vincent. White; tinged flesli; very 
beautiful. 

Lady Jeune. Blush white ; very delicate. 

Lord Annaly. Deep crimson ; a fine, rich shade. 

Meteor. Bright,* dazzling crimson. 

Other single ones of American birth : 

Defiance. Terry. Brilliant crimson ; tall and fine. 

Full Moon. ]^ew. This is one of the most striking, 
immense crimson, with strong outer petals and a full 
moon of golden stamens. A hearty, open-faced flower. 

Terry. Is a sort of lilac rose, very rich color. 

St. Sophia. Terry's. Is deep rose, and has the long- 
est succession of bloom of any of the single family. 

Wild Rose. Pleas. Is a fine, open-faced crimson 
flower, with a large, golden cushion. 

May Davidson. Is a large pink, striped with silver. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 241 

The Queen. Terry's. Large white, with cushion of 
pure gold. 

We have several others on the way, whose merits are 
not fully established. 

THE JAPANESE PAEONIES. 

These are a distinct family by themselves, single and 
semi-double, with very pronounced golden centers. They 
are prodigal bloomers, often covered with a profusion 
of beauty. They are very hardy. Some of us are en- 
deavoring to raise a new race from seed, and here there 
is -a vast field. The nomenclature of this whole family 
is in a chaotic state, and the Paeony Society is hard at 
work naming and classifying them. I have in all some 
thirty kinds. I append Henry Dreers' list: 

Apollo. Deep pink, shading lighter toward the edges. 

Diana. Blush, with creamy white center. 

Exquisite, White, with yellow stamens. 

Fabiola. Delicate blush. 

I^Teptune. A fine shell pink. 

Ophir. Dark carmine. 

Saturn. Rosy pink, with yellow stamens. 

Souvenir. Flesh pink, creamy white center. 

Titian. Soft, delicate pink. 

Yesta. Purplish red. 

Topaz. Deep rose, shading lighter at the margin. 

Undine. Bright pink, with darker shading. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

GLADIOLUS, THE SWORD LILY. 

The diminutive of ^^gladus/' tlie sword. The mean- 
ing is ^^little sword." 

There are about 90 varieties of this beautiful flow- 
er. They are found growing in the region of the Med- 
iterranean, in Asia and most of the species are from 
South Africa. Marvelous improvements have been 
made in recent years in this flower. Blossoms of im- 
mense size have been produced and these are of great 
beauty. 

It is true the bulbs must be planted every spring and 
must be taken up every fall. Yet, there is no hurry in 
the spring. These with dahlias and cannas are plant- 
ed after the rush of spring work is over. 

SOILS. 

Our Western rich prairie loam is just the thing for 
them. Some people stake the stems. As a general 
thing this is not necessary if properly planted. The 
soil should be heavily manured the year before so the 
manure will be well incorporated and the ground fine 
and friable. Then plant at least 4 inches deep. When 
I first commenced I had a good deal of trouble with 
the long heavy stems tipping over. I found the trouble 




Pkesented by Arthuu Cowek, Berlin,, N. Y. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 245 

was I had not planted deep enough. You can have 
your rows about two feet apart and put them four 
inches apart in the row. They need thorough cultiva- 
tion. When they first come up, before they are very 
high, go over the whole ground with the rake. That 
lightens the soil and kills the weeds while the plants are 
set deep enough so they are not disturbed by the rake. 
^N^ever grow anything in partnership with weeds. Ir- 
rigate with the hoe and cultivator. More and more we 
are finding out that constant cultivation is absolutely 
essential to success. This keeps the ground from dry- 
ing out and kills the weeds. Cultivate after every rain 
if possible. This closes the pores in the soil and re- 
tains the moisture. 

PROPAGATION. 

It is easy to raise them from seed and then you have 
the charm of discovery. You are sure of something 
new. Save seed from your best plants, prepare a bed 
thoroughly, put the seed in shallow drills and cover 
about an inch deep. See that they do not dry out in 
germinating. If in the open it is well to cover them 
with burlap till they begin to come ujd. In the fall dig 
and dry them and store in a dry cellar. Plant again 
the next spring and they will be large enough to bloom 
the year following. 

Do not plant on the same gTound in succession. 
Choose a fresh place each year. 

When you take up the bulbs in the fall you will find 
rows of tiny bulblets attached to them. Sometimes 



246 THE GOLD MINE 

there will be from one to two himdred of these tiny 
corms attached to a single bulb. You take these off 
and plant them as you would peas the next spring. Of 
course these will be like the parent root, while the seed- 
lings will give you something new. 

We are often asked if paeonies, dahlias, cannas and 
other flowers will not mix and change color by being 
planted near together. Never. This is impossible. 
The seeds will of course bring different results, but 
merely growing side by side will never effect any 
change. 

THE FLOWERS. 

While in Minneapolis in the summer of 1904 the 
florists told me there was no sale for the flowers and 
they went begging everywhere. Looking at the blos- 
soms I did not wonder, for they were little, out-of-date 
affairs. Not much like the grand, full, radiant ones 
of more modern types. 

The Childs & Groff's hybrids and Burbanks outrank 
the old sorts and by constantly selecting seed from the 
best there is a chance for great improvement yet. 

When the first flowers begin to open, cut off the stem 
and put it in water and it will keep on blooming a 
long time. 

There is an almost infinite number of named sorts. 

Arthur Cowee of Berlin, N. Y., is quite a specialist 
in this line and sends out a very neat little booklet with 
various approved varieties and directions for obtaining 
the best results. He has immense fields of them and 
seems to keep at the front. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 247 



SUCCESSION OF BLOOM. 



This can be regulated both by varieties and also by 
the time of planting. In a bed of several hnndred 
some will bloom very early and others late. I have had 
them bloom in ]^ovember while others of the same 
planting will blossom early in July. For a succession 
plant about the first of May. Plant another lot the 
first of June and you can plant again in July. In fact 
late blossoms are the best because they come on after 
the intense heat of summer has passed. If you wish 
the best results while they are blooming in the hottest 
part of the season and it is very dry, shelter them with 
burlap or muslin. 



FORCING THEM. 



Having had no experience in this line I quote from 
an expert, C. L. Allen, of Floral Park, I^. Y. : ^^The 
gladiolus for decorative purposes during the winter 
season has of late been considerably used ; many gTOw- 
ers having been very successful in bringing it in at the 
proper time, making it a profitable branch of their in- 
dustry. This had the tendency to induce others who 
had not sufficient knowledge of its requirements to 
make a success of the enterprise, to plant on a large 
scale. Like all other undertakings, with hope, rather 
than experience as a guide, it has not been as profitable 
as might be desired.'' But a few men have been suc- 
cessful, among them John Thorp of Peal Kiver, N. Y., 
who knows the gladiolus well and acts accordingly. 



248 THE GOLD MINE 

The flowers he produced reach the full measure of 
their capabilities. We quote what he says : 

^^The gladiolus when grown as a forced flower is ap- 
preciated to a greater extent than when grown out of 
doors. Like many other flowers it is better under the 
protection of glass. When well cared for the flowers 
are larger, the colors purer, and the spikes longer. To 
force them successfully, however, requires attention at 
just the right time, and its wants should always be an- 
ticipated and supplied. Here is the routine of my 
practice. The bulbs I forced this year were also forced 
last year. They were planted February 8 and the first 
flowers were cut the 30th of May. This year's work 
began December 27 by putting each bulb in a four-inch 
pot, using sandy loam without manure, and placing the 
bulb on top, pressing it down to hold it without any 
other covering. They were watered and then placed 
under the benches of the carnation house until the be- 
ginning of February. At that time those plants which 
had grown four inches were brought to light and again 
watered. Placing them close together on a bench near 
the light, a little water was given them from time to 
time, retarding the top growth and encouraging the 
root action as much as possible. 

^'M-j soil is rather of a heavy sandy loam, and in this 
the bulbs were planted ; the depth of the bed being a lit- 
tle over four inches. The bulbs were scarcely covered 
at this time and this I find prevents the plants from 
damping off during the dull days when they have com- 
menced to grow rapidly. By the middle of March each 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 249 

plant was tied separately to prevent its falling over. A 
light mulching of stable manure was then put on and 
well watered. 

^'Three things I find necessary to successfully force 
the gladiolus: 

"First — The pots must be well filled with roots before 
the plants are finally set out in the benches. 

"Second — The nearer the bulbs are to the surface the 
less liable the plants are to damp oft'. 

"Third — The bulbs must be well ripened before us- 
ing.'' 

You will note the entirely different system used in 
the greenhouse or indoors. In this case you plant near 
the surface. In the open you must plant at least four 
inches deep. 

UNNAMED VARIETIES. 

These are very numerous. I think the better way 
is to get choice mixtures. They come cheaper and you 
get the different shades and colors. Different dealers 
I note advertise the Groff, the Child's, Lemoine and 
Burbank mixtures, and they are all fine and come 
cheaper than the named sorts. 

SOME POPULAR KINDS. 

Canary Bird is a large fine yellow flower. 

Shakespeare is called one of the best. Flowers large 
on a long spike, creamy white, with delicate carmine 
rose tintings and quite a blotch on the lower divisions. 

La Candeur is fine and large with strong spikes well 
lined with beautiful blooms, nearly white. 



250 THE GOLD MINE 

Eomulus is very early, dark red, with pure white 
blotches. 

Isaac Bluchanan is clear yellow. 

John Bull is white. 

Napoleon III is a bright scarlet flower striped with 
creamy white. 

A good way is to get the finest mixtures. Mark the 
best when you take up the roots. Save the bulblets from 
them and keep them separate. [N^ame them if you 
choose. Keep at it year after year and you will soon 
have quite a stock. If you wish entirely new ones save 
seed from the very choicest and begin at the founda- 
tion and develop something entirely new. 

C ANNAS. 

There is a growing interest in these flowers. They 
make an imposing appearance in the garden. At first 
they were used largely for foliage effect. The leaves 
are large, and some deep green, some light green and 
others of bronze color. But great improvements have 
been made of late years so that now they are highly 
prized for their blossoms as well. They are not of 
much value as cut flowers, but for imposing effect of 
bloom and foliage they are not surpassed. 

When you have a collection put the rankest growers 
in the rear. The Pillar of Fire is immense in growth 
and a fine bloomer. Plant next to this those of slower 
growth, then come down to the dwarfs and you have a 
stairway of beauty, rising till they reach the Pillar of 
Eire, which overlooks them all. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 251 

They multiply rapidly. One root may have 15 or 
20 divisions. You separate these and plant about the 
first of May or earlier perhaps, as it takes some time 
for them to come up. It is sometimes difficult to keep 
the roots. Of course being tropical plants, they never 
get ripe. They are always killed down by the frost and 
of course the roots are green. If they get too dry they 
do not like it, and if too wet they will rot. You must 
watch them and perhaps bring them out and air them 
on mild days in winter. They are much harder to 
keep than the dahlia, Avhich you can treat as you would 
potatoes. I have received the latter when almost en- 
tirely dried up, but they would grow all right. Cannas 
should be planted four or five inches deep in very rich 
ground. Put them about 18 inches or two feet apart. 
They must have rich ground as they are rank feeders. 
If very dry you had better mulch heavily if you can- 
not water them. 

RAISING FROM SEED. 

This is an easy matter. Some will put seeds in a 
pot and start them early. I have planted, however, in 
the open in the latter part of April and had blooms 
of marvelous beauty and heavy roots the first year. 
Some were fully up to many of the named sorts. Some 
were fiery scarlet, others were red and gold, some yel- 
low and highly freckled — in short there was a menag- 
erie of beauty and a perfect surprise of loveliness. 

The seeds are very hard. I brought water to *the 
boiling point and then took it off a few moments to 



252 THE GOLD MINE 

take off keen edge, then poured it on and stirred rapidly 
for several minutes ; then covered them up and left them 
standing a day or two and had a beautiful stand. Soak- 
ing in quite warm water a few days and changing the 
water twice a day will do well and you take no risk of 
overheating. Plant about two inches deep in light fine 
soil. 

The following are described by & Co., Tarry- 

town-on-the-Hudson, N. Y. : 

Mrs. Kate Gray — This is an extraordinarily grand 
canna in every way. Flowers are of gigantic size, meas- 
uring six inches in diameter, much larger than Italia 
or any of the Italian varieties. The Italian varieties, 
in fact, are not to be compared with this variety in any 
way — size of flower, freedom of bloom, or substance — 
the flowers of this variety lasting as well as almost any 
of our leading standard sorts. In color, the flowers are 
very brilliant, deep orange, round and full, and are 
thrown high above the foliage, making them very showy 
and effective. It is one of the most effective bedders 
we have. It is a very free bloomer, and bears a large 
number of flowers on each spike. It is also a very 
strong grower, and would be valuable on account of its 
beautiful and luxuriant foliage alone, which is tropical 
in its luxuriance, much resembling the Abyssinian Ba- 
nana; but added to this are its gigantic flowers, borne 
in large clusters, towering on large flower spikes high 
above the foliage, and produced in the greatest pro- 
fusion. Notwithstanding its immense size, it is as free 
a bloomer as any of our best standard sorts. All who 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 253 

have seen it in our grounds the past summer unite in 
pronouncing it the finest thing in cannas sent out for 

a long time. 

Pennsylvania— Another new, grand, giant-flowered 

variety, fully as large as Mrs. Kate Gray and an 
equally free and abundant bloomer, but entirely distinct 
in color, being a deep, rich scarlet. 

Betsy Ross— We consider this the finest pink canna 
ever introduced. It is a fine, strong grower and an 
exceedingly free bloomer, flowers being borne on large, 
erect trusses, held well above the foliage. 

Buttercup— Almost absolutely pure golden, or but- 
tercup yellow-pure yellow except for the very faintest 
possible markings on the lower petal. Very free bloom- 
er, producing large and handsomely formed flowers on 
large trusses, which are always bright and dean. This 
variety is valuable on account of its exceedingly bright 
color, and particularly so on account of its very dwarf 
habit, growing not over three feet high-about the same 
height as Pierson's Premier— giving us a first-class 
dwarf yellow sort, which has long been needed. 

Black Beauty— By far the handsomest of all the 
dark-leaved cannas. While the flower is insignificant, 
the exceeding beauty of the foliage more than compen- 
sates for this, and where foliage effect alone is desired, 
nothing richer and handsomer can be found. Pohage 
is large and massive, of the richest bronzy purple color, 
shaded with black, with beautifully crimped or undu- 
lating edges. Foliage is almost as rich and striking m 
color as a dracena. 



254 THE GOLD MINE 

Pandora — A rich dark-leaved variety — as highly col- 
ored and as glossy as a dark-leaved dracena. Next to 
Black Beauty, the most beautiful dark-leaved variety. 
Besides its beautiful foliage, it is a large-flowered vari- 
ety of the Italian type, with flowers as large as Italia 
or Austria, scarlet marked with orange, — almost the 
same color as Mrs. Kate Gray. 

Tarry town, the Finest of all C annas — This variety 
sent out four years ago for the first time, was very 
highly recommended, but we are glad to state that it 
has exceeded our anticipations in every way ; we be- 
lieve Ave can justly claim it is the finest canna 
for bedding grown today. 'No variety approaches it for 
display. The flowers are large but its particular value 
lies in the earliness with which it blooms, the abun- 
dance of flowers produced, its branching habit, and the 
lengths of time the flowers remain after they open. 
Another point of superiority is the fact that the flowers 
are thrown well above the foliage, and the heads of 
bloom are held very evenly, and so freely produced that 
the foliage is almost hidden. One characteristic of this 
variety which largely gives it its value is its wonderful 
branching habit, two or three spikes of flowers being 
in bloom on the same stem at the same time, producing 
a mass of bloom. The flowers, which are an exceeding- 
ly brilliant carmine crimson, have decidedly more sub- 
stance than any other variety, and last for an unusually 
long time. The stem carries no withered, dried-up 
flowers, but is always bright, clean and fresh. There 
is so much substance to the flowers that heavy wind and 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 255 

rain storms have no effect upon them, leaving them 
bright and fresh, when other varieties have been knocked 
to pieces. It is a fine, strong, healthy grower of moder- 
ate height. ITo variety compares with it in any way 
for a constant, continuous display ; it is perfectly safe 
to say that it showed six times as many flowers for the 
same amount of space as any other variety in our fields. 
Wherever it was planted, it stood out prominently 
among the best. Many canna experts who 'have visited 
our trial grounds invariably pronounce Tarrytown un- 
questionably the finest of all bedding cannas introduced 
up to this time. It cannot be praised too highly. It is 
as much ahead of all other cannas today for bedding 
as Mme. Crozy was ahead of all its contemporaries at 
the time of its introduction. jSTotwithstanding the fact 
that this variety has been offered for four years, the 
demand for it last season exceeded the supply. 

Kosemawr — A grand pink variety. Rich shade of 
soft rosy pink, slightly dappled with deep rose. One 
of the freest-blooming cannas that we have, either in- 
side or out. Flowers are very large and of good shape, 
with broad, well-rounded petals, frequently two inches 
across and uncommonly thick and of good substance, 
and the trusses are enormous. Dwarf habit, averaging 
about three feet in height. A wonderfully fine acquisi- 
tion; no up-to-date collection is complete without it. 
It occupies the front rank among cannas of any color. 

NEWER AND SCARCER SORTS. 

Improved Pillar of Tire — An exceedingly brilliant 
variety — fiery crimson scarlet. A giant of its class, 



256 THE GOLD MINB 

growing six to seven feet high, and a very free and 
early hloomer. Invaluable for centres of beds. 

Crimson Bedder — A grand bedding canna. Intense 
crimson scarlet, dazzling in the extreme. An exceed- 
ingly free bloomer, quite dwarf in habit and very bushy 
and when in flower makes a perfect blaze of color. Few 
if any of the newer cannas equal this variety for ef- 
fectiveness as a bedder. 

L. Patry — Orange salmon, showing a pinkish sheen 
on the older flowers — an entirely distinct color; very 
bright and effective. Lar^e flower and truss. An ex- 
ceedingly free bloomer. 

Luray — A very fine new pink variety, with flowers 
and trusses of the larsrest size. Elowers are as large as 
Rosemawr, but are very much darker, being a dark rose- 
pink. An exceedins^ly free bloomer, and a fine thing 
in every respect. 

Martha Washington — A grand new pink canna with 
extra large flowers. Very deep, bright pink. Most of 
the flowers have five petals, which are very broad and 
long. Trusses are of the largest size, and are perfectly 
erect. A grand variety. Very distinct and very su- 
perior. 

Michel Favrichon — An exceedingly free and early 
bloomer and a very strong grower. Flowers are ex- 
ceedingly large and very showy ; bright orange, slightly 
shading to carmine and dotted with carmine. 

Philippe Rivoire — Bright scarlet, mottled and tinged 
with carmine, with a very narrow golden margin. Very 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 257 

handsome and distinct flower. Rather tall grower with 
beautiful foliage. Free bloomer. 

Souv. de Mme. Nardy — A beautiful mottled variety 
— bright golden yellow, heavily spotted with the most 
intense scarlet. The variegation is similar to that of 
Florence Vaughan, but the colors are much deeper and 
brighter. It is entirely distinct from Florence 
Vaughan and is one of the most beautiful variegated 
cannas ever raised. Tall grower. 

Pres. Max Michelli — This is the finest and largest 
flowered of all the dark-leaved varieties. Bright orange- 
scarlet, shaded carmine, with bright carmine splashings. 
Flowers are as large and fine as any of the green- 
leaved cannas. Dwarf grower. 

Admiral Avellan — A fine dark-leaved canna. An 
exceedingly free and early blooming variety, being a 
mass of color all summer. Deep orange, much darker 
than J. D. Cabos. Fully as free a bloomer as Egan- 
dale and considerably taller. 

Alphonse Bouvier — One of the earliest, showiest, and 
freest blooming varieties grown today. Tall grower; 
under good cultivation grows from seven to eight feet 
high. The heads of bloom are of the largest size, bril- 
liant scarlet crimson ; very effective. 

Alsace — The only white variety; the nearest ap- 
proach to a pure white canna yet introduced. Flowers 
at first are a light sulphur yellow, changing to a rich 
creamy white. Flowers are not so large as some, but it 
is an immense bloomer, being loaded with blossoms all 
through the season. 



258 THE GOLD MINE 

Beaute de Poitevine — A fine dwarf^ compact grower. 
Flowers are of good size, crimson scarlet, with no shad- 
ing of any kind. A free bloomer, throwing np large 
trusses of bloom. Foliage is very distinct — ^glaucous 
green. 

Egandale — This is a dwarf, very compact, free- 
blooming dark-leaved variety. Foliage is dark greenish 
maroon ; flowers bright cherry. An exceedingly free 
bloomer, and a favorite sort. 

F. N^euvessel — A fine dark-leaved variety ; foliage 
is very handsome. Orange scarlet flowers, showing a 
pinkish tinge on the older blooms. Tall grower and 
very free bloomer. 

Florence Vaughan — A very effective and showy va- 
riety. Flowers are of the largest size, brilliant yellow 
spotted with scarlet. This is the finest variety of its 
color and the standard spotted sort today. 

Mile. Berat — rThis is a pink canna of French origin. 
Dark carmine pink. Heads of bloom are held erect 
and well above the foliage. A showy, effective bedder. 
Tall grower and exceedingly free bloomer. 

Mme. Crozy — Scarlet, with golden edge. This va- 
riety is the one that tended to popularize this beautiful 
class of plants, and is still considered very desirable. 

Philadelphia — Exceedingly brilliant; a bright, glow- 
ing crimson, very rich and velvety. It is very early, 
very dwarf, and a very profuse bloomer. Extra good 
and extra desirable in every way. 

President Cleveland — A fine, compact, vigorous 
grower, throwing up numerous flower spikes of im- 




Mrs. Rooskvelt Dahlia. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 261 

mense trusses and flowers of very large size. One of the 
showiest varieties. Color, bright orange scarlet — about 
the same shade as Robt. Christie. 

Duke of Marlborough — Darkest of all cannas — ^very 
dark crimson. Very free bloomer and a tall, strong 
grower. Very desirable. 

Souv. d'Antoine Crozy — This is a superb variety in 
every respect, and is one of the very finest that we have 
today. In color it is an intense, vivid scarlet, bordered 
with a narrow band of the deepest golden yellow, the 
yellow border intensifying the brilliancy of the scarlet. 
The effect of a group of these flowers in the sunlight 
is dazzling. It is an exceedingly free bloomer. The 
heads of bloom are very large, and the flowers are re- 
tained upon the spike more than an ordinary length of 
time. It grows about six feet high. Those who wish 
to have the best cannas should certainly have this va- 
riety. 

THE DAHLIA. 

When the procession of the earlier flowers, like the 
tulips, columbines, paeonies and roses have passed by, 
we need a companion to the glorious phlox which falls 
into the line and cheers us till frost comes. 

Today is the 20th of October, and before my 
window are great masses of Dahlias in full bloom. 
They commenced in June. They give off an immense 
amount of cheer. They are easy to raise, and can be 
kept like potatoes through the winter. 

The Dahlia, more, perhaps, than any other flower, 
shows the wonderful skill and patience of the florist. 



262 THE GOLD MINE 

It was first discovered in Mexico by Baron Humbolt 
and was sent bj him to the botanical gardens of Madrid. 
It was named Dahlia in honor of a noted botanist, Dahl. 
After its first introduction it seems to have dropped out 
of sight. It was reintroduced into Holland, the land of 
flowers, in 1804. It was single at first and I suppose 
there were almost countless efforts made to improve it 
and finally after long experiments a double form re- 
warded the florist. Then improvements followed thick 
and fast until we have the almost infinite varieties of 
form and color. Almost every shade but the blue has 
been produced. There is growing in Mexico the Dahlia 
Excelsa, which grows 30 feet high, covered with a pro- 
fusion of bloom. Dahlia Imperialis is a distinct spe- 
cies growing 10 to 15 feet high with fine branching, 
treelike form, producing in the fall pure white droop- 
ing, lilylike flowers three inches in diameter. Of 
course these last named are too tender for our north- 
ern climate, and the seasons are not long enough for 
their development. 

A few years ago there was a decline in the demand 
for this flower. But as prosperity returned and the love 
of flowers has grown, a need was manifest for a flower 
which would reach from the paeony to the time of frost 
and so the want grew and the Dahlia grew to match it ; 
till now one man in New Jersey has 80 acres and the 
flowers were sold by one firm in Philadelphia. 

Our small cities and country towns are very slow to 
take up things of merit. Flowers may be ever so beau- 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 263 

tiful, but if thej are not roses or carnations from tlie 
greenhouse there is little call for them, while the larger 
cities appreciate things on their merit. 

For cut flowers some of the finer forms are of ex- 
quisite beauty and the marvelous variety of shape and 
color make them all that we can ask for. 

PEOPAGATION. 

There are four methods. Division of roots, by cut- 
tings, by grafting, and by seeds. Increasing by cut- 
tings and grafting is done mostly in greenhouses. The 
other two processes can be used by the amateur, for they 
are very simple. 

One day I was in the store of a florist in Omaha and 
a lady asked : ^'Why won't my Dahlias grow. I sepa- 
rated the roots and planted the tubers ; but not more 
than a fourth grew at all." The florist replied, '^Were 
you careful to have a bud on every root ?" 

^^'No ; I never thought it necessary." 

^'Things can't grow without a head," was the reply. 
]^ow a large paeony root, broken off near the crown 
forming a perfect tuber, will take a year to put a 
head on itself; but the dahlia cannot do this and so 
must have a head to begin with, l^ote this then : in 
dividing your clumps have a bud with every tuber and 
if some tubers have no eyes leave them to help out 
those that have, thereby giving it extra force. Take up 
your roots in the fall before the hard freezes or frosts 
come on. Dry them and store them in a cool cellar 
where they will not freeze. If there is danger of the 



264 THE GOLD MINE 

frost creeping in, take a box, line it with paper, wrap up 
your roots in paper and carefully store them away. 
Throw loose paper on the top and put some old blanket 
over them. 

They should be planted as early in the spring as it 
will do, about the first of May. Put them in about 
four inches deep. 

They are rank feeders and do best on the richest 
ground. If you cannot water them thoroughly, then 
irrigate with the hoe, by giving the best of cultivation. 

Dahlias love the sun and cannot thrive in the shade, 
so give them a good chance. 

SUPPORTS. 

Usually frames are made for them, but for extensive 
cultivation this is not feasible. Instead, they are se- 
verely trimmed. When the branches appear cut them 
back as you Avould in planting a young apple tree. This 
makes them grow more stocky. I find this system 
works well where they stand in exposed places. They 
adjust themselves to the winds like a tree out in the 
pasture. But if they are planted rather close in seclud- 
ed places the stems will be weak and they must have 
supports. 

VARIETIES. 

There are two general divisions, the single and double, 
and these again are subdivided. 

The doubles are grouped in sections something like 
the following: 

The Cactus — These have peculiar petals quilled and 



»3 

M 

a 
o 
f 

H 

O 
H 

M 
► 

CO 





Cactus Dahlia. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 267 

twisted, having a shape entirely unique and different 
from anything else. I give a few of the leading va- 
rieties : 

Alpha is mainly white, sprinkled with purple, crim- 
son and lilac. 

Beatrice is deep rose color, with long pointed petals. 

Cinderella is beautiful flame-like crimson. 

Gabriel is described by Peacock as follows: "The 
ground color is soft velvety crimson, having a faint 
cinnamon hue at the bases of the florets. The upper 
part of each floret for about half its length is snow 
white. A very showy flower.'' 

Henry F. Mitchell is very large and irregular in 
form with colors varying from soft yellow to intense 
orange red. 

Juarezi is the mother of the cactus group. It is 
deep scarlet, v/ith long, narrow, twisted petals. 

Lady Penzance is pure yellow, with long twisted 
petals. 

Miss A. Nightingale is deep yellow, tipped red and 
semi-double. 

Matchless is a dwarf, strong and vigorous, of branch- 
ing habit, flowers large, rich, varnished crimson, over- 
laid with maroon. Quite early, and a wholesale 
bloomer. 

Sea Queen is purplish, with a bluish sheen. 

Spitfire is scarlet, with clawlike petals. 

I give only a few of the 120 mentioned by Mr. Pea- 
cock — just enough to give an idea of the character of 



268 THE GOLD MINE 

the family. If a man has 80 acres, as he has, in Dah- 
lias, he can take care of the whole group, but the rest 
of us with small spaces must be content with a few sam- 
ples. 

Then there is an extended list of the 

DECORATIVE DAHLIAS. 

These have large flowers and are very imposing in 
appearance and I have watched them with much inter- 
est. 

Over forty-five kinds are named and these are not 
all ; for new ones have been added all along. 

Black Beauty is a fine maroon. It is of such deep 
color as to be almost black. 

Clifford W. Burton has large golden flowers. I have 
watched them unfolding till late in October. They are 
fine and symmetrical, like a large chrysanthemum. In 
color bright, clear yellow and the flowers are continuous 
and very large. 

Maid of Kent is cherry red, tipped Avith white. 

Mrs. Roosevelt is a large flower of superior beauty. 
The blossoms are double — six inches or more across. 
The color is delicate bluish white. 

William Agnew is a great favorite. Flower seven 
inches across, full center, fine form, color clear shade 
of intense red. 

SHOW DAHLIAS. 

These are of compact ball shape. Some of them are 
wonderful in their exquisite tinting and shadings. It 
would not seem possible that so much delicate beauty 




SlXUa BltlGHT, UlClI CACTUS DAHLIA. 




Decorative Dahlias. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 271 

could be crowded into a ball of loveliness. About 75 
kinds are given with their varying shades. We can 
give only a few of them. On our own grounds these 
have been the most satisfactory of all; though some 
kinds have been sent out too insignificant in size and 
so dull in color as to have no real merit and they might 
as Avell be discarded. 

Aleta is fine, light pink in color, flowers in balls, 
moulded in perfect form. It is one of the first to bloom 
and after the 20th of October I have seen it loaded 
with a profusion of flowers. It seems very conscien- 
tious, as if it had to be done. 

Beauty is snow white and of perfect form. 

Golden Canary is clear yellow of very fine shape, a 
perfect flower and profuse bloomer. 

Honest John is brilliant maroon, richly shaded and 
often mottled with black. 

Queen Victoria is one of our best golden ones. 

Storm King is new, a symmetrical white flower. It 
is in great demand as a cut flower. 

FANCY DAHLIAS. 

This group is set aside as another class, something 
like the last mentioned only on a larger scale. Many 
of them are almost indescribable in their beauty. Some 
have marvelous edgings, tintings and touches of re- 
markable shadings. Some are variegated with ex- 
quisite blendings of colors. 

American Flag has ground color of pure white, with 



272 THE GOLD MINE 

a border of deep red and sometimes bars of red striping 
with the white. 

Elegans is rosy red^ banded white. 

Olympia is one of the finest of this attractive group. 
It is six inches in diameter. The color is rose pink, 
striped and edged with crimson. 

About 40 kinds are given in this group. 

rOMPO]^ DAHLIAS. 

These are of dwarfish habits, profuse bloomers and 
have a rich variety of colors. 
Then we have 

THE DWARF CLASS. 

These are used for borders. 

Then there comes the Pigmy or Tom Thumb fam- 

Then there is a very large family of Single Dahlias. 
Another class are called Orchid Flowers. 

STILL ANOTHER CLASS. 

are called collarette, because the flowers all wear col- 
lars. 

KEEPING CUT FLOWERS. 

E^early the same rules must be followed as in the 
preparation of paeony blooms for market. 

Remove all the neighboring buds and side shoots. 
Leave the foliage on the stem to which the flower be- 
longs, then put the stem in water and allow it to ab- 




Decorative Dahlia. 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 275 

sorb its fill. You can then pack and ship or put them 
on exhibition. 

There is a great future for these flowers. The ama- 
teur has a wide field in sowing seeds, and watching 
new developments. In fact it is hard to keep up with 
the pace this flower has set for us. 

We prefer perennials if possible. We plant them 
and they stay planted, but the ease with which these 
are propagated, the immense returns they give for 
good cultivation, and the little care required in carrying 
the roots over w^ill make them favorites. They are rank 
feeders and require plenty of room. 

In planting, put the largest and strongest in the 
background. Then those of less growth. Then put the 
Tom Thumbs at the front, so you can take in the whole 
at a glance. 

A PARTING WORD TO THE PIONEERS. 

Brothers, we have worked hard in carving out a 
new empire. We are of the West and a part of it. 
We have seen it grow from childhood to stalwart man- 
hood and have done what we could to make it grow. 
We are now on the down hill way, and we cannot climb 
back again. We have earned the right to be rich and 
to enjoy ourselves. But there are treasures outside of 
sold and stocks and bonds. He is the rich man who 
is contented with a pleasant home and is out of debt. 
I note that often the farmer leaves his home and moves 
into town where he is often restless and dissatisfied. 
If he stayed by his farm to the last and beautified and 



276 THE GOLD MINE 

adorned it, lie. would keep himself young among his 
flowers and life would have an enjoyment he cannot 
find on a narrow town lot. For myself I have been a 
hardworking man. I began life in Minnesota in 1857. 
I was there when the state was born. I am Y2 years 
of age, but I cannot feel that I am growing old. I seem 
standing on the borders of eternal youth. True, my 
feet move more slowly and I cannot match the full 
vigor of my prime, but the soul is young. I am going 
towards the sunset, towards the ^^golden gate"; but it 
is not a dreary or wintry way. 

Often have you watched the glowing splendors of 
the evening, when the stately clouds like heaven^s own 
sentinels escort the retiring day to his chambers in the 
west. What brush can portray those inspiring displays ; 
what pen can describe the robing of the clouds. It is as 
if the choicest gems of earth were melted together and 
then piled up in mountain vastness. There are great 
masses of opal, amethyst and gold, and beyond the 
fields of sapphire the scene is glory, set on fire, and the 
vast procession trailing its splendors seems as if escort- 
ing a conquering soul into the eternal joy. 

N^o, this is not old age; it is but the promise of an- 
other morning. 

^^We all do fade as a leaf." But how do the leaves 
fade? Go into some of our mountains after the touch 
of the frost and the whole landscape is a splendid gar- 
den robed in indescribable loveliness. What a rich 
blending of color. The gold of the maples, the purple 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 277 

of the oak and cherry and all the shades and tints of 
the other trees of the forest give us such a picture as 
only gifted nature herself can paint. 

And yet this resplendent golden summer of the year 
is called the symbol of death. 

We have much to do in adding to the pleasure and 
happiness of our declining years. As the day is closed 
by the resplendent curtains of the clouds, so we can 
make the hither shore a promise and a prophecy of 
what lies beyond. You can gloomily wait by the river 
in a barren land or you can wait in fields Elysian amid 
the fragrance and beauty of the choicest tributes which 
earth can cast at your feet. You are already heir of 
all things, and have had your coronation here of "riches 
and honor.'' Hovering over and around you are the 
choice tributes of the infinite love. Why not reach 
out and take them ? You are sons of a king ; better be 
princes than beggars. Time is the porch of eternity. 
Earth is preparatory to heaven. We strive to have our 
souls in accord with the peace and the purity, the har- 
mony and sweetness of the heavenly state. Why not 
educate also for the beauty of heaven? 

Stand on the threshold of the future. Listen to the 
salutations of the universe, "All things are yours." 
Think of a home whose foundations are gems, whose 
dome is sapphire, whose walls are jasper, with gates of 
pearl, with opal sea flashing in the supernal brightness, 
with streets gold paved, with a mansion built by the 
hand which hung those mantles on the suns, which 
touched so deftly the petals of the flower, which put 
those tints on the clouds. 



278 THE GOLD MINE 

Then look out on the vastness, on the boundless 
abysses of glory, where the stars are the bouquets of 
Godj where the infinite fields are gardens of flowers 
sprinkled] with stars of various hues, and is there nothing 
to be learned here of the beauty of our Lord ? 

So fill the closing days with cheer. Let beauty leap 
from your brain and fall from your hands. Use your 
creative powers. Show your birthright by making the 
earth smile with gladness. Be yourself a creator of 
the beautiful. Call forms of loveliness from the sun- 
beam, from the rainbow, which is ready to melt and 
dissolve in beautiful bloom for your enjoyment. It is 
wrong to let God's great unseen processions of beauty 
pass by without a recognition. 

It is wrong to take a piece of God's fair earth and 
let it go to weeds or simply raise from it something 
to feed the stomach, and raise nothing for the soul. 

There is that patient wife, mother of your children. 
What a woman she has been ; how heroic she was when 
you were starting in life; how meager the fare; how 
she suffered with the cold. More than once tears came 
to your eyes as vou thought of her privations. I^ow 
the battle is won, and to her soul has come a great long- 
ing for the beautiful. 'No queen more worthy than she. 
You can plant trees which will nod her welcome, you 
can have a soft carpet of green for her weary feet, you 
can plant flowers which will rise up and call her bless- 
ed, which all summer will put themselves on dress pa- 
rade for her and worship her with their incense. Why 
not have a little pleasure in your old age ? 



IN THE FRONT YARD. 279 

Again let the farmer keep his soul and his speech 
clean. When I was a bov and men used to change work 
in threshing time it was awful. They seemed to vie 
with each other in using the foulest language and be- 
fore the bojs at that, and as the result many of the 
sons grew up vile and debased and lived in the base- 
ment rather than in the upper story of farming. 

The farmer works with God. The one furnishing 
the capital, the other the labor, and thus the world is 
fed. He of all men lives the nearest to God. And 
when he receives his warranty deed from Him and 
from the United States government he is under the 
highest obligation to make the most of himself, of his 
family and of his farm. He should see that his children 
are brought up clean and not weakened by debasing 
habits. Surroundings have much to do in the develop- 
ment of character. I would much rather children 
would be brought up in beautiful grounds where beauty 
and purity would greet them everywhere than in a 
yard which was the home of pigs and a hospital for 
sick machinery. 

There is no farm in the great Northwest which can- 
not be greatly improved and made homelike. A man 
should have an ambition to make the most possible of 
his home. It should not be an eyesore and a plague 
spot. It should match the greenness of the fields, the 
beauty of the prairie and forest and the repose of the 
waters and all the loveliness of nature, and so, my 
brother, you will ^x up, won't you ? 



f THE END. I 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




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